Having served the community in a number of ways since 1918, the former VFW building will once again have a purpose. (Dustin White photo)

Dustin White
Editor

Traveling along the Old Red Scenic Byway west from Mandan, a great amount of activity can be seen at the former VFW building. Each weekend, volunteers have been gathering to help restore the building. Recently, those efforts have found additional help in the form of a $10,000 grant from Bernzomatic.

The restoration project began back in October of 2015. Approached by Fred Berger, who owned the property, the Dakota Leathernecks were given the opportunity to take over ownership of the building.



“These guys gave for our country, for our freedom, this is a small way for me to say thank you,” Berger said. “Their efforts will allow for this building to come back alive.”

Breathing life
The building that Berger was gifting to the Dakota Leathernecks had a long history. Built in 1918 as Price Consolidated School, it was moved to its current location in 1959 and served as the VFW post 707 through the 1980s.

Over the years, the building has sat dormant off and on, but it continued to serve the community. However, time hasn’t been the most forgiving to the building, and when it reached the hands of the Leathernecks, there was considerable work to be done.

“The building is structurally sound, this is a great benefit but it needs updating,” Raymond Morrell, Commandant of the Dakota Leathernecks Detachment said. “As Marines, we have a lot of expertise, but like active-duty military, funding is key and right now, our funds are very limited.”

Making due with what they had, as well as getting a great amount of support from the community, the building has begun to transform.

Grant
Along with donations from the community, the Dakota Leathernecks had a great boost in their efforts to restore the building after becoming finalists in the Bernzomatic “Find Your Fire” program.



In late December, 2015, the Leathernecks were informed they were among the top ten finalists.

“There was just a little bit of excitement when we received confirmation of being one of the ten finalists. Winning the grand prize of $10,000 will be a big boost towards the $50,000 plus we still need to finish this project,” Morrell said.

The community came out in full support to help the Leathernecks win the grand prize, with many voting for their project on a daily basis. Climbing up in the rankings throughout January, the Leathernecks eventually finished as a runner-up.

While they wouldn’t win the grand prize, they still received a $10,000 grant, which will go a long ways in helping bring the building back to it’s former glory.