Donations are also opened to items that represent community organizations or first responders, according to the veterans committee.
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Those items will be stored in the capsule for 20 years and then donated to the archives of the Dayton VA Medical Center once the capsule is reopened, said Jerry Ferrell, who is chairperson for the local veterans committee. The capsule will be officially sealed during the grand opening of the new outpatient center located at 1620 N. Limestone St.
“It is important to veterans to see that their legacy lives on,” Ferrell said. “That is one of the main reasons we wanted to have a time capsule.”
His group will be holding an event in the parking lot of the current Springfield VA facility at 512 S. Burnett Rd, on Wednesday to collect items for the capsule. The event will start at 10 a.m. and last until 2 p.m.
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Construction for the new facility began earlier this year and is expected to wrap up in December, said Philip Kirk, chief of engineering at the Dayton VA. He said they expect for it to officially open in January.
Kirk said the new location will be an expansion of nearly 3,000 square feet and will have more examination rooms and providers. Representatives of the Dayton VA said their agency served 3,657 veterans at the current Springfield facility last fiscal year. They said that facility saw a total of 22,180 appointments during the last fiscal year.
Ferrell, who served in the United States’ army from 1983 to 1987 said his committee decided that the time capsule would be sealed for 20 years, which is how long the VA’s current Springfield Clinic has been in business.
Donations can also be made by calling Ferrell at 937-781-6227.
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