Repairs and renovations at the Westlock Legion are just about complete, which means the facility will be back at full capacity in short order.
The work was necessary after the building suffered two minor disasters in the second half of last year. The first came in July when a heavy rainfall caused the roof to leak, damaging the parquet dance floor on the upper level.
Then in late September, the lounge flooded with sewer backup.
For Legion vice-president Paul Taverner, having those two events happen within a few months of each other was somewhat a case of feast or famine.
“Thirty-five years with no insurance claims, then these two things happen within a month-and-a-half,” he said.
The lounge had been closed since the flood and reopened to the public on Jan. 22; it has taken on a new look since the flooding.
Overall, the room has a more open feel to it. The partition that ran in front of the washrooms is gone, which has also allowed the tables to be spread out more. In addition, the lounge is brighter, as some woodwork panels on the walls have been removed.
In the months since the flooding, Taverner said it had been just about non-stop work stripping out all the damaged furniture and wall panels and bringing in the new décor.
Of course, he said as the workers went about fixing everything up, they came across other problems that needed to be fixed.
“It all added to the cost,” he said, but added it was good to discover those problems now rather than later.
Having the lounge flood was in some ways a blessing in disguise. With the room needing to be repaired, it was a good time to put in place some renovations as well, Taverner explained.
One such example is the pool table. With it needing to be moved so the lounge could be repaired, it was a good time to have it re-covered. The table now has a light tan felt covering, which Taverner said makes that corner of the lounge look brighter.
A new sound system was also installed, making it easier and less time-consuming to set up and take down — as in all that is necessary is to pull the microphone out of the wall and flip a switch.
Upstairs in the hall, workers were putting the finishing touches on the new dance floor on Jan. 24. Taverner said he had been told the work would take about seven to 10 days, but it was looking like it would be finished in only three days.
“They’ve been very efficient at getting the work done,” he said.
Although the Legion hall and lounge will be fully re-opened soon, Taverner said there are plans in the works to hold a grand opening in late February or early March.
“We want it as big and splashy as we can,” he said, but added other than that goal, no details have been worked out yet.
