From left, Camptown Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1941 Senior Commander Franklin L. Prather, Chuck Jeter, who also happens to be a member of the Prince Hall Freemasons, and Commander Louis Johnson are together inside post headquarters on Chestnut Avenue on Saturday, Sept. 3.
IRVINGTON, NJ — Members of Camptown Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1941 said they attended the Irvington Planning Board meeting Thursday, July 28, to support the efforts of Brenda Jenkins of the Volunteer Network for Veterans to stop Mayor Tony Vauss’ administration from selling the old Servicemen’s Clubhouse building on Springfield Avenue to developers that want to tear it down and build a new Taco Bell restaurant on the site.
Jenkins’ zeal, coupled with the VFW’s membership numbers, however, proved insufficient to convince the board, especially after developers had paid $800,000 to the township for the property.
“it’s a shame that we’re going to lose the facility, but we tried to take steps to stop the procedures that were going on,” said Post Commander Lewis Johnson on Saturday, Sept. 3. “What happened was there were a lot of things that were not in play. We met with Brenda, so we went out there in support of her. The main thing is they couldn’t prove that the building was historical and, because they couldn’t prove that land and site were historical, they couldn’t stop the deal.”
As far as he’s concerned, Johnson said, the sale of the old Servicemen’s Clubhouse is a “done deal,” But he said there is a silver lining to the situation.
“It’s a shame that we’re losing that facility but, on the other hand, the veterans have a place that they can come to and get the help that they need in Irvington,” Johnson explained. “We’re willing to partner with the township to help veterans. A lot of towns don’t have a military liaison in government anymore, so veterans can come here and get the help that they need. So now that they took over that facility over there, they could partner with us over here.”
Sr. Commander Franklin L. Prather said Jenkins’ fight to save the Servicemen’s Clubhouse was finished before it ever really began because she and her supporters tried to block the deal after it was already done.
“When you look at the records and stuff, there was no documentation to show that site had been designated as a protected landmark,” said Prather on Saturday, Sept. 3. “I tried to explain to them that, if you wanted to block the Planning Board from approving the deal, they would have had to show them facts, to provide reasons why it should be blocked. There was ample time to get the facts they needed together but, by the time we at the VFW got involved, it was too late. The Planning Board approved the deal 8-0.”
“It’s done because the Planning Board approved the application,” said Prather. “The lawyer for the developers presented his facts and the Zoning Board people presented their facts, so it’s a done deal.”
Jenkins and Vauss could not be reached for comment by press time this week about the vote that cleared the way for the Servicemen’s Clubhouse to be replaced by a Taco Bell.
Going forward, Johnson and Prather noted that the Camptown VFW Post 1941 will work with the mayor and his administration to help veterans in need.
“The commander and myself have met with the mayor to discuss how the township can work with us to make it better for veterans,” Prather said. “This organization should not just be for VFW vets; it should be for disabled American vets, American Legion vets and all other veterans groups. If we work together, we can reach out to them and work with them to get all our veterans in the township of Irvington the services that they need.”
North Ward Councilman David Lyons, himself a veteran, said Prather and Johnson are on the right track.
But that the structure in question hasn’t been functioning as a servicemen’s club for years, according to Lyons. “I don’t know when the last time that house — and I’m calling it a house, not a servicemen’s club, on purpose — actually served as a servicemen’s club,” Lyons said Wednesday, Aug. 24. “The actual servicemen’s club, if you want to be real about, it is the VFW.”
VFW admits sale of old Servicemen’s Clubhouse a ‘done deal’ added by Chris Sykes on
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