Efforts underway to revive Greenport American Legion post
Almost a decade after community members and contractors rallied to save the Burton Potter American Legion Post 185 in Greenport, a renewed effort is under way to make the structure viable.
The last restoration effort resulted in replacement of a worn out boiler, interior painting and improvements to the front of the structure on Third Street in the village. But fast forward almost 10 years and the old post has a badly leaking roof, a southern wall that’s crumbling and a floor — once used for roller skating — that is warped.
Bob Heaney, owner of Skipper’s Restaurant in Greenport, helped lead the charge for the restoration, sponsoring a fund-raising dinner on Veterans Day in an effort to pay for repairs that would enable the veterans to revive the long popular children’s roller-skating program.
Mr. Heaney has also organized a committee with George Costello Sr., Craig Richter and others to plan construction work.
Contractor Colin Ratsey has already volunteered his services to patch leaks in the roof. The next concern is to fix the buckling floor and repair the south wall, Mr. Richter said.
Liz Morrison, who is working with the organizing committee, is a Navy veteran who was stationed in Chicago toward the end of the first Gulf War. When she first came home, she wanted a post, but felt the existing one didn’t serve her needs or interests, she said.
“I wanted to come home to a post; I didn’t want to come home to a bar,” she said. “We need community.”
Anyone interested in joining the effort to renovate the hall can reach Ms. Morrison at 477-5914 or Marilyn Corwin at 477-1456.
