City Plans Court Fight With Closed VFW Post : Clubs: Officials are pursuing allegations that the organization sold liquor three months after it was ordered to shut.

SANTA CLARITA — The war may be over, but the fighting continues.

As members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6885 complete the transformation of their Sand Canyon clubhouse into a private residence, city officials are going to court to pursue allegations that the facility continued operating three months after it was ordered to close down.

“The Veterans of Foreign Wars has violated the order of the court by continuing to operate and selling alcohol to a non-member,” Santa Clarita City Atty. Carl Newton said.

Newton is pursuing contempt of court charges against the VFW post, which the City Council ordered closed in January. If successful, VFW members face fines or perhaps jail.

Post officials said they have done nothing wrong. The city and the club’s Sand Canyon neighbors are just trying to get back at members, who were accused over the years of drinking too much and making too much noise, they said.

“I think they’re just trying to make our life a little difficult now,” said Lou Hunt, post quartermaster.

Hunt said that the post has held its biweekly meetings at the Mint Canyon Moose Lodge since February and that no alcohol has been sold since the clubhouse surrendered its alcohol license in late October.

Nobody would even recognize the place, Hunt said.

Gone from the post’s bar area are the cigarette machine, dining tables and ceremonial plaques. The pool table has been sold, and the 3-foot-by-4-foot embroidered American flag is packed away.

“All things that would represent the bar are gone, except the bar,” post member Ambrose (Coach) Emardsaid.

The Sand Canyon post has 168 members. Hunt said 15 to 25 veterans have been working to clean up the clubhouse to sell.

Post officials expect the sale of the property--which has an asking price of $295,000--to be completed by the end of the week.

“The buyer has loan approval,” said Jan Meggs of Frontier Realty, who is handling the sale of the property. “If everything goes right, it should finish this week.”

No matter, said attorney Newton, who contends that the post sold alcohol to a member of the public in March.

Gary Symonds, attorney for the post, criticized the city for pursuing the allegations when the property is about to be sold anyway.

“I guess things are slow with the law firm and they’re trying to drum up business,” Symonds said.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien on Tuesday set a May 13 hearing to consider the contempt charges.