Restoring Fort Campbell

About two years ago, on a Sunday morning, I was walking down at Fort Campbell and met an old Englishman who used to work at this fort about 40 years ago.

While we were walking around, I asked him many questions about the fort and he replied with tears in his eyes because everything had been vandalised and broken. The last words he said to me were that we were going to meet again in heaven. God bless him.

As I am already involved in heritage sites I promised myself I would not go there any more because I felt sorry for this once exquisite site.

During these last few days I started thinking again about what can be done to restore this 1937 fort and returned after about two years to think of an idea.

As I was entering the fort, I saw it was in a more disastrous situation than before. Now the roofs are collapsing because the iron beams that used to support them have been stolen. Many walls are falling as they have been vandalised and some rooms were set on fire too.

Some people have written to newspapers calling on the authorities to do something. The fort was sealed off but after a few days these walls were vandalised too.

People continued to have picnics and barbecues there, leaving rubbish everywhere. Children roaming around in the fort and in its shelters are facing danger. If an accident happens, is the government responsible?

If we want to see this fort as it was in the old days it should become something similar to a crafts village. It is situated in a very nice, quiet area, with fantastic sea and country views and there are many military rooms, some in bad condition which can be repaired.

The government could 'loan' these rooms for, say, 15 years to individuals or organisations who would like to start a small business without any rent. They would however be obliged to restore the barrack room or shelters to their original state, with wooden windows and doors and barred windows.

The barracks can be used for various operations like wine bars, night clubs, souvenir shops, pottery, glass blowing, and stone-working workshops.

The government need only install street lighting in the fort. Common parts will be fixed and cleaned by the people who avail themselves of this opportunity.

If anyone has better ideas on how Fort Campbell can be saved they should put their ideas forward before the fort becomes a field like it was a hundreed years ago.