Photo credit: Town of Gilbert
Gilbert - - “Your Dollars. Your Gilbert. Built for Better Access”, says the slogan on the Town of Gilbert’s Ash Street Realignment web page.
But “better access” doesn’t mean the same to members of Legion Post 39, a Veterans organization established in 1935 and still going strong. Now, the legacy of this place of support and kindness for Gilbert veterans is threatened by a new project intended to make the historic Heritage District more easily accessible to everyone- except the members of the Post.
The public comments session during the Town of Gilbert’s Oct. 28 town council meeting heard the voices of several members of Legion Post 39 who came to voice their concerns over the Ash Street Realignment project. According to Michael Bailey, second vice commander of the American Legion Post 39, the post helps its members “navigate VA benefits, access emergency assistance, and connect with mental health and peer support networks that literally save lives”.
“The Post is not just a building", Bailey adds. Not only does the Post offer guidance and support to Gilbert veterans, but it also provides a safeguard against isolation, acting as a lifeline to veterans who are at risk of suicide. “That accessibility is not symbolic; it is lifesaving”, he states.
Photo credit: YouTube
Bailey also offered the council some insight into veteran suicide rates, including that isolation is one of the strongest predictors of veteran suicide. The Post, he says, is a safe place where veterans can go to avoid isolation and reconnect. “If the Ash Street Realignment project moves forward as currently designed, removing or severely restricting the close parking near our post, that lifeline becomes harder to reach”.
“For veterans with mobility challenges or limited mental resilience, even small barriers can become insurmountable”, Bailey worries. “If access becomes too difficult, many simply won’t come”.
Photo credit: Town of Gilbert
According to the Town of GIlbert’s website, the Ash Street Realignment project currently sits at 30% designed, meaning that conceptual design is now underway. The site states that the design is intended to create access between Page Avenue and Vaughn Avenue, which will theoretically improve accessibility to the Heritage District.
According to the site, “The Ash Street Realignment Project is designed to enhance connectivity, safety, and long-term mobility within the Heritage District”. It claims that conversations and planning is ongoing with affected businesses and stakeholders, and that the town is still working on a solution that will both improve traffic flow and maintain access to the pocket park.
Several veteran members of the Post also came to show their support for the pocket park and to speak on behalf of their fellow members. Arizona State Commander for The American Legion Gary Vaugn from Peoria opened his statement on behalf of veterans across the state who come to visit the Post in downtown Gilbert: “To those of us who stood together to fight for what we enjoy in this country today, it is imperative that we stand together now to work for mutually beneficial and collaborative solutions.”
Commander Vaugn was followed by Jimmy Pazik, Chaplain of American Legion Post 39, who said he was also present to “object to the town’s proposed Heritage District redevelopment.” “The issue is, for us, accessibility”, said Pazik, “We have elderly veterans. We have disabled veterans. The lack of accessibility to our post would greatly inhibit their ability to come to a safe place for them.”
This issue arises just one short month after the Town Council declared the month of September as Suicide Awareness Month. Will the council see its oversight in its proposed plan to cut off access to Gilbert’s own at-risk veterans? Will it work to preserve parking access to Legion Post 39?
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