The National Trust for Historic Preservation put Battle Mountain Sanitarium in Hot Springs on a list of America’s 11 most endangered historic places. The facility is part of the VA hospital in the southern Black Hills. The VA is proposing to close the facility. David Brown is the Executive Vice President for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He says his group opposes the closure.
“There is a process according to federal law that the VA has to go through to make any decision about the future of Battle Mountain Sanitarium and what we will do is we will participate in that process and make sure that the VA follows the law and we will also provide comments and help the VA which is supposed to be looking at alternatives,” says Brown.
Brown says his group will encourage the VA to look at preservation alternatives rather than shuttering the Battle Mountain Sanitarium. The VA’s proposal to close the facility is open for public comment until August 16th.