The Westlock Legion is trying to fill a potential $150,000 shortfall after it was informed that its insurance policy will only cover $20,000 of $170,000 in estimated damages from the Aug. 22 overland flood.
The lounge, located in the Legion’s basement, was but one of hundreds of basements flooded during the once-in-a-generation disaster.
“Of course, estimate is the key word there,” said Legion president Dave Linsley. “It could be more or it could be less.”
Damage to the lounge included drywall, carpeting, and the elevator — which in itself cost over $25,000.
“Everything had to be taken out,” said Linsley. “The cooler had to be disassembled so they could replace the drywall. All the carpeting has to be replaced.”
The community has been rallying to help the Legion — St. Mary School held a fundraiser lunch Nov. 6 which raised roughly $1,500.
“St. Mary was nice enough to put on a fundraiser for us,” said Linsley.
“We had a great turnout, almost 200 people at that. So that shows community spirit. Morale-wise, they’re a huge boost. Financially, every little bit helps.”
The Legion has applied for a matching grant from the provincial government, but Linsley noted he doesn’t expect to see any results until March. Until then, the Legion is forced to play the waiting game.
Linsley added that using the proceeds from poppy sales was not an option as that cash is earmarked for veterans.
“Any money that comes in from the poppy campaign stays in a trust account and that’s only for veterans,” said Linsley. “None of that poppy money goes into Legion stuff at all. It’s for the veterans and their families and any help they might need.”
One positive in all this is that because they were able to get the lounge cleared out and abated quickly, there were no issues with mold.
“They got in the right away and cleaned up and sanitized it all,” noted Linsley. “That took $20,000 right off the top, just the cleanup.”
Currently, volunteers are doing much of the repair work.
“We have a few people in the Legion that are pretty handy with drywall work, and they’ve been doing a good job,” said Linsley
“The drywalling is almost finished and will be ready for paint pretty quick.”
He noted that even when the drywall is finished, there is still more to be done.
“The full bar has to be replaced, the cooler has to be put back together in operating condition, and all our chairs have to be re-upholstered,” he said, adding that since the work was being done by volunteers on their free time there’s no firm timetable for completion.
“We would like to see the work done within two months, but if it isn’t, I guess we’ll just have to keep working.”
In the meantime, Linsley said the Legion will soldier on.
“We’re trying to operate as normal as possible,” he said.
