Veterans within Dripping Springs, Hays County and the region will soon have a place to call home, gather with other veterans and foster community with the looming completion of Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs, a 10-acre resource and amenity hub dedicated to veterans and their families.

Kathryn Chandler, a founding member and daughter of a Vietnam War veteran, got involved to help fill a need in the community, which is inching closer to fruition as the team eyes the opening of its 7,100-square-foot main hall this summer.

The project costs began at around $6 million and have risen to $10 million, following the pandemic. Chandler and fellow founding board member Mary Jane Hetrick said the organization has fundraised $8.4 million.

“It’s taken a few more years, but I think that also shows the support of this community for veterans,” Hetrick said.

The details

Patriots’ Hall is located at 231 Patriots' Hall Blvd., Dripping Springs, and features a 1,200-square-foot meeting house for veterans, which has already reached completion. The location will also feature an array of other amenities in the works, including:

• An 800-square-foot wellness center
• A 7,100-square-foot gathering hall
• Walking trails
• A fishing pond
• A playground
• A community garden
• Obstacle courses

The meeting house and gathering hall will serve as flexible spaces for veterans to conduct work or spend leisure time with others. The wellness center will have a local physician for consultations by appointment and one-on-one Veterans Affairs claims assistance also by appointment.

What’s next

With the gathering hall opening slated for this summer, the board is working on an ambassador program for veterans to help other veterans or their spouses.

“It’s been very heartening to see the responses so far of veterans who are eager to learn about what the offerings will be so they can, in turn, help their fellow veterans,” Hetrick said.