Ground broken on AMVETS’ new national headquarters
Ground has been broken on AMVETS’ new national headquarters at the former Beth Israel Synagogue in Washington.
A ceremony was held Tuesday at the property at 265 North Ave.
The $525,000 sale of the synagogue to AMVETS was finalized in June.The national veterans organization will move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., where it has been for 80 years.
“The D.C. area was a great home for AMVETS for eight decades, but we know we can always do better,” said Horace Johnson, AMVETS National Commander. “In moving to Washington County, we are moving to the county that has more veterans per capita than any other county in the continental United States. We are moving to our fellow veterans.”
The building will house the organization’s offices, but will have enough space to host meetings and community events. The new national headquarters is targeted to open in mid-March, bringing about 40 jobs to Washington. A ribbon-cutting is tentatively scheduled for March 14.
“We are making a significant investment here because we know it will be worthwhile,” Johnson said. “Once construction is complete, this building, at this location, in this county, will allow our staff and volunteers to more efficiently and more effectively provide billions of dollars worth of services to veterans and their families from coast to coast.”
Former Pittsburgh Steelers great Rocky Bleier, who was injured in service in the Vietnam War, earning the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, was on hand Tuesday. Bleier is the managing partner of the Rocky Bleier Construction Group, based in Carnegie, which is overseeing the project.
“With the number of veterans we have here in the county and the surrounding areas and the state, this is an ideal situation,” Bleier said. “It helps to promote what AMVETS is all about, as well as all of the other agencies around here. One of the biggest pushes is to be able to get younger veterans involved in these organizations. One way to be able to do this is with a brand-new headquarters. We’re very happy just to be involved with it on a construction level.”
Many state and county officials were on hand to mark the occasion.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta stressed the need to get younger veterans involved in organizations such as AMVETS.
“This is so vital for all of us,” she said. “It’s such an honor to have this location as the national headquarters for AMVETS. This is such a feather in our cap in Washington County. My question is, what’s next?
“We need to be sure that we’re doing everything we can at the county and state level and even in our neighborhoods to recruit young veterans to our social clubs, to our VFWs, to all of these organizations. We have to spread the word. We have to recruit them and bring them in. Let them know this is a community that loves them and supports them, and there’s some wonderful things that they can do at any one of these establishments.”
Brady Brooks, commander of the recently formed Post 72347 in Washington County, said there are about 14,000 veterans in Washington County and about 4,500 involved in veterans service organizations.
“Where are the other 10,000 veterans?” he asked. “We need them involved. We have to give support to them. We need to have them giving that support back into the community.”
Also speaking Tuesday was Nick Sherman, chair of the Washington County commissioners. “When veterans are coming home we need to provide every resource if there is an issue, if there’s a mental health crisis, drug and alcohol issue, just to have a place to have a cup of coffee,” Sherman said. “What we like to have in Washington County is as many tools in our belt to help as possible. This is a great example of another tool in our belt to help veterans and give them all the resources that they need. I’m really happy that of all the places in the United States that you could have relocated to, you chose here in Washington County.”
Others in attendance included Commissioners Larry Maggi and Electra Janis and state Rep. Tim O’Neal.