Veterans Museum in Central Now More than Just a Dream
By: Bob Mathews
While it is no where near time to cut the ribbon, the buzz is getting louder about a proposed 600,000-square-foot Veterans Museum and Convention Center to be located on Denham Road in the City of Central.
“We have been talking to people and laying our plans for more than two years,” explained Gerald Reid, founder and chairman of the Central Veterans Helping Veterans organization. “While we are not ready to begin construction, I can report that we have been successful in securing more than $151 million in grants to fund the project.”
The group’s goal is to create the largest military veterans museum in North America. Plans are for the museum complex to include an opera house that will feature various types of musical entertainment each week, a veteran’s assessment center and a permanent replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in a climate-controlled bubble that can be visited in air conditioned comfort all year round.
Vietnam Memorial Wall
“Of course our plans began to take shape during and after Central Veterans Helping Veterans successfully coordinated the visit of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall in November of 2007,” said Reid. “We were so amazed at the fantastic response and the wonderful cooperation we received from the people of Central until we knew then that we needed to do more.”
When the visiting Vietnam wall came down the members of the non-profit organization began to work in earnest.
The site selected is on Denham Road between Crystal and El Ranchitos. The group has taken an option on the property and meetings are being held with Central Planning and Zoning.
Of course with a project this size ease of access by the general public is essential. The selected site is within Central’s city limits and near Pride and Zachary. It affords easy access to all three proposed routes for the northern loop through the top of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Virtual Reality
Displays will include all types of military gear and hardware according to Reid. There will be many flat screen television units for showing videos, a virtual reality room, and four simulators. Every branch of the service will be represented and every war that Americans have fought in will be showcased beginning with the Indian wars on through both World Wars and on to Grenada and Iraq.
The hope is that visitors to the museum will make it self-sufficient with special attractions each month plus large celebrations and special shows at Christmas and on July 4th. There are plans for restaurants, a museum store and all the accoutrements of a first-class modern museum and community center.
“We will have permanent jobs for over 100 veterans and we see these as mostly people from Central,” said Reid. “We also hope to recruit the approximately 6,000 volunteers from the area who will be needed to make this a dream that really does come true.”
They say if you want to have a dream come true you have to start with a dream.
People interested in making a tax free donation or volunteering to help with the Veterans Museum project are invited to call Gerald Reid at (225) 341-0569.