A new day is dawning for veterans in Broken Arrow with the opening of the new Veterans Center, 1117 S. Main St., north of Veterans Park.
In 2013, the city condemned a dilapidated prefab building serving as the VFW Post on land jointly owned by the city and Broken Arrow Public Schools.
“We are standing inside a long-awaited dream for a lot of the organizations here in our city. They were promised by city leadership at that time that we would build them a new home,” said Broken Arrow Mayor Debra Wimpee. “And the city recognized there were other veterans’ organizations that were deserving of a place to call home too.”
Broken Arrow voters approved $2 million for the facility as a part of the 2018 Build Our Future BA GO Bond. The 4,600-square-foot-facility features offices, meeting space, and a catering kitchen for the local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Blue Star Mothers.
CLICK HERE to watch a video of the official opening ceremony and dignitaries who spoke Tuesday.
Each of the veteran’s organizations had input in the design of the center.
“We have a user group agreement with the organizations, and they will run their facility,” City Manager Michael Spurgeon said. The City helps with utility costs, maintenance, and a few other expenses, but we felt like the veterans should be making decisions as to how the facility should operate.”
Spurgeon thanked past and present City Council members and the military organizations that helped make this new center possible. He also thanked Magnum Construction and Chase Fetters Hewitt Architects.
Broken Arrow is a City that loves and appreciates the service and sacrifice paid by veterans.
“This is not only for our current veterans, but this is also for our future veterans,” said Jennifer Conway, president/CEO of the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce. “As an organization in the community, we are not only committed to serving you here today but to ensuring that Broken Arrow is always a welcoming, safe place for veterans to live, work and play.”
The city of Broken Arrow became a Purple Heart City 4 years ago and is now the largest Purple Heart City in America, according to Broken Arrow Veterans Center Director Mitch Reed.
“The organizations represented here are so proud and grateful to the City and the people who passed the Bond issue that made this possible, putting it on Main Street in the Rose District and next to Veterans Park,” Reed said. “Thank you to the city of Broken Arrow for the amazing building that you have built us, and thank you City Council, both past and present, and the City Manager, because they saw the need.
“It wasn’t just our Veterans speaking. This really proves that Broken Arrow is the city where opportunity lives.”
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