Gilroy Veterans Memorial Hall
Building Improvement Campaign
The South Santa Clara Valley Memorial District has been serving the community since 1951 by providing the Gilroy Veterans Memorial Hall as a place for veterans to meet and socialize.
While the 6,350-square-foot Hall was well built and has been well cared for over the years, renovations and improvements are needed to continue serving the community into the future. As a result, the District launched a capital improvement campaign in April 2018 to raise the funds necessary to make the building improvements.
The District’s board of directors is committed to keep the Hall as a social center of the community for years to come. A $223,000 bathroom remodel and electrical upgrade were completed in June 2021. Smaller projects— upgraded front doors, window replacement, and a new security system — were completed in 2019 and early 2020. A full kitchen remodel to comply with current health and safety standards is the next project.
Currently, the Hall features a 3,333-square-foot meeting hall, full-service bar and a kitchen with outdoor barbeque pits. Solar was installed more than 10 years ago, before green energy was the rage.
The Hall is home to the American Legion Post 217, the John A. Berri Veterans of Foreign War Post 6309 and posts’ respective Auxiliaries. The District also hosts resource fairs and other events specifically for veterans. Local non-profit organizations and the general public rent the hall for meetings, memorials, parties and other events. As a result, the Hall is well used and loved.
And there is potential to rent the hall for additional community use. The City of Gilroy’s five-year Consolidated Plan and Action Plan identifies community needs for additional senior centers and recreation facilities. In addition, a remodeled kitchen could appeal to local small businesses in need of such facilities.
A per transaction service fee of 2.65% will be charged by the payment processing company for this service.
As a special district, the SSCVMD is funded through tax dollars and facility rentals. However, the District only receives less than $150,000 annually from property taxes and makes about $45,000 in rentals. After annual operating expenses there simply isn’t any left to make necessary improvements.
While there is still some opportunities to increase daily rentals, it is limited with the facility in its current state. A new modern, commercial kitchen would be more appealing to renters and therefore could increase rentals. But even then, additional funding is needed to make all the needed improvements.
To Donate Mail checks made out to South Santa Clara Valley Memorial District (SSCVMD), 74 W. 6th Street, Suite A, Gilroy, CA 95020. Or click the Donate Now button on this page to use a credit card.
Charitable contributions to SSCVMD are tax-deductible under section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.
$227,834
raised to date
