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RAPID CITY, S.D.– After the fence just outside the entrance of the VFW Post 1273 building was taken down just before opening up on Tuesday morning, members of the veteran community have already come together to help with repairs. Post 1273 Quartermaster Kat Pyka explains more about the situation.
When it was first seen
According to Pyka, she noticed the fence had been torn down around 10:45 Tuesday morning, which sparked some intense emotions from staff and patrons. “A lot of anger, We work very hard to try and keep it as nice a place as possible,” she said. “Building up and doing what we can with the money that we do have as a non-profit. So any time things like this happen, damage caused by other people for no reason– it is disheartening.”
How the community responded
As previously mentioned, efforts to repair the fence have already gotten underway by some veterans. According to Pyka, they were out Wednesday afternoon and have started drilling out the remains of the fence that were still left in the cement. While further plans are still being sorted out to get the fence back up, she says that they are also looking into inquiring about making an extension on the fence to bring it out about a foot farther on the sidewalk to create more space for people sitting outside.
What is next?
While the response from the community provides a big help to the organization, other issues such as repairing the foundation of the building still remain at large. Pyka says that while monetary and physical donations can be mailed to the facility, she prefers donations be made in person so people can be thanked. “Whether it be like time, equipment, money, those are always welcome here to try and help get our things back to where it was before.”