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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > July 10, 2009
House approves bill to prohibit commercial development at Milwaukee veterans grounds
Published July 10, 2009 - BizTimes Daily
The U.S. House of Representatives today approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) to prevent commercial development at the historic veterans' grounds in Milwaukee.
The amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010 would prohibit federal funds from being used to process new leases for commercial development on historic veterans' properties. The leases are known as Enhanced Use Leases (EUL).
"Milwaukee's historic soldiers' home site was established after the Civil War, and these buildings are still standing today," Moore said. "The history surrounding these buildings is rich, and their value to Milwaukee veterans, their families and future generations cannot be understated. We should protect this soldiers' home site for veterans' purposes, and prohibit it from being taken away from the use or benefit of servicemen for the sake of commercial development."
The City of Milwaukee had explored options for commercial development at the Milwaukee veterans grounds on the hill southwest of Miller Park.
Moore worked with the Allied Council of Veterans and their members to arrange a townhall meeting with the U.S. Veterans Administration in August 2006, when veterans' organizations voiced concerns about commercial development at the Milwaukee site.
Hundreds of veterans attended the meeting and asked V.A. officials to protect the historic soldiers' home. The City of Milwaukee eventually withdrew from the discussions about private development at of grounds.
On March 3, 1865, Congressional legislation established the concept of a National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Milwaukee, which was built for officers and men of the U.S. volunteer forces who had been disabled by wounds received or sicknesses contracted during the Civil War. This soldiers' home in Milwaukee became designated the Northwestern Branch of a national network of 11 soldiers' homes across the country.
Built in 1867, the Milwaukee Soldiers' Home was one of three original sites. The other two were located in Maine and Ohio. The Moore amendment would protect the three oldest homes, including Milwaukee's, from EULs for commercial development.
"These buildings - national treasures - should be preserved for veterans' purposes, future generations of veterans, their families and the interested public," Moore said.
Currently, the Milwaukee Soldiers' Home is on the National Park Service list to earn a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
