Inactive since 2016, the beloved Cayucos Veterans Memorial Hall will finally bustle with rehabilitation work.
The upcoming construction will take place because the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, on Oct. 4, unanimously approved funding from multiple streams for the project. Last November, the board approved a $3.5 million loan to the restoration project. Now, coupled with a series of grants and donations, the total project cost stands at a little more than $11 million.
County Project Manager Margaret Mayfield of the Public Works Department told New Times that construction will start this year and is estimated to finish in spring 2024. In a press statement, 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson credited Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) for the progress of the project.
“Sen. Laird was highly supportive of this project, recognizing the Vets Hall importance as a cultural and economic resource for the region,” Mayfield said. “He included the Cayucos Veterans Memorial Hall in his 2022 budget priorities and secured $1 million in funds from the fiscal year 2022-23 state budget to support the project to restore this important community building.”
The California state budget Veterans Affairs money is part of $7 million obtained through grants and donations. The lion’s share is $2.5 million from the state’s Natural Resources Agency, while $435,676 came from contributions made by concerned community members in Cayucos.
The Vets Hall closed six years ago after site investigations found structural issues. Since then, Cayucos missed out on hosting popular annual events like the Sea Glass Festival and the May Madness fireworks fundraiser. Lori Stone, the president of the Cayucos Chamber of Commerce, told New Times that that those are the town’s two largest community gatherings.
“Other town venues have stepped up to support us, but without a central community hub it limits what we can plan and places additional stress on our small-town resources,” she said. “We’ve also lost many opportunities to host weddings, meetings, celebrations, and gatherings that uplift our community and support our local businesses.”
Stone and the rest of Cayucos are “beyond ready” for work to begin.
“It’s been a long wait while we’ve watched the building sit idle. However, it’s important that the community fully understands next steps,” Stone said on Oct. 5. “I feel hopeful that with yesterday’s decision we can start to see timelines and tangible milestones really take shape toward an anticipated reopening.”
This article appears in Oct 6-16, 2022.