Paradise American Legion almost rebuilt

PARADISE – Almost three years after it was completely destroyed in a fire the American Legion Post in Paradise is well on its way to completion.

As of last week, the structure’s shell was almost complete and was expected to be finished in the next two or three weeks; once the structure is complete they will begin work on the interior. According to Marilyn Bischof, public relations officer for the legion post, they hope to have their first event in mid to late spring.

The new building will have a number of features the old one did not. They will have a larger, commercial kitchen for food as well as a larger meeting space; the goal is to open the post up as an events center for the greater community.

“We’re hoping to make it a bit more all inclusive,” Bischof said.

The new post is expected to be a big deal for the area. It was noted there are no legion posts in Thompson Falls or Hot Springs, and having a place for them to hold meetings as well as events would be good for them.

The community has also been very excited for the new building. Bischof said the contractor had reported lots of people coming by the see the construction and give their thanks for their work on the project. The contractors said they appreciated what was being said and it made them feel special as well as appreciated.

The American Legion has big plans for the new building, but they are still a ways off.

“Eventually, we’d like to start serving food there, but we need to do one thing at a time,” said Bischof. “Getting it up is the big thing right now.”

The old American Legion Post was lost in a fire on July 31, 2013. Since then, the board discussed the options for what to do for a meeting space and with the land the post had been on. It was eventually decided to rebuild and construction began on Veteran’s Day of 2015. As long as the weather holds up, and no delays hit, they plan to open in the late spring or early summer of this year.