Spring St. Veterans Building Provides Haven

The old Putnam County Veterans Building on Cookeville’s Spring Street continues to provide a safe space for veterans to socialize and form a community.

Putnam County Veterans Organization Vice Chairman Edward Bray said the building is used by various veterans groups in the county to host meetings and events. Bray said the building provides a much needed venue for veterans to come together and get the support they need from one another.

“If we didn’t have this place, then it would be, the veterans wouldn’t have a home,” Bray said. “Everybody would have to try to find a restaurant or a church or some other location to meet. So having this building is so important to all the veterans.”

The county’s veterans facilities moved to a new office on Highway 70. Bray said the building was deeded to all Putnam County veterans by the county years ago due to requests for a building solely for the veterans to use. He said they are currently working on upgrading the kitchen in the building, as well as installing LED lights and a new HVAC unit.

“We’ve been looking at donations of cabinets and flooring, just trying to upgrade that so we can potentially have more either dinners for the veterans, breakfasts,” Bray said.

Bray said the PCVO was founded to manage and maintain the building when it was deeded. He said each individual veterans organization in the county has two trustees on the PCVO board.

“We discuss anything that’s going on the with the building,” Bray said. “Future rentals, anything, maintenance that’s needing attention right away.”

He said all veterans are welcome to that building regardless of whether or not a part of a veterans organization.

“They’re always welcome to contact the commanders of each veteran organization if they’re needing somebody to talk to or find out more information on the activities and events that the veteran organizations put on,” Bray said.

Bray said the community is also allowed to rent the facility, which sees use as a venue for weddings and pageants.

“The building sees use pretty much every week,” Bray said. “I mean we have – the schedule is usually booked about a month in advance.”