Golden Links Hall suffers $20,000 in damage

Jan 22, 2014

Heavy snow, ice and the recent January thaw have wreaked havoc to a number of buildings and homes in the region. The Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith was one building that has suffered, and as result two functions that were scheduled to take place there had to be canceled.

Debbie Green, who is the Vice Grand of the Rebekah Lodge Branch 358 and also secretary of the Golden Links Hall Committee, said that she became aware of a problem on January 10 after a couple of hall members arrived to take out the recycling.

“They arrived to find the small meeting rooms, the cloak room and the storage room all flooded. There was about 3-4 inches of water on the floor in those areas and my understanding is that the flooding occurred as result of the ice storm that took place earlier this month," she said.

The storm caused an ice dam on the roof above those sections of the building, which caused water to leak through the roof vents as the ice and snow began to thaw. Luckily the main hall of the building and the lodge room off of it were not damaged.

Green said that on the following Monday, Service Master, a water damage company from Kingston, was called out to assess the situation. They estimated the damage at $20,000. While the company reported no structural damage to the roof or building, all of the carpeting, drywall and ceiling tiles had to removed in the affected areas and will be replaced in the next few weeks. The company has installed numerous industrial-strength dryers to dry out the flooded areas, which Green said would take close a week. This must be done prior to the installation of the new materials.

Green said the repairs come at a terrible time since the hydro and heating bills at the hall will still need to be paid, but she did say they are thankful that the damage was not worse and that insurance coverage will pay for all of damages.

That being said, however, the revenue that would have been generated from the two canceled fundraising functions - the beef supper that was scheduled for Jan. 19, and the bingo that was scheduled for Jan. 21 - will be sorely missed.

Debbie Green hopes to be able to schedule some additional fundraisers to make up for the loss. She is hoping that the reconstruction will be complete by March 1, in time for the Oddfellows' Branch 306 120th anniversary celebration, which is scheduled for that day.

Green has been a member of the Rebekahs for 30 years and on the hall committee for the past 10 years. She said that she does not recall ever having to cancel a function in the hall's 40-year history, nor does she recall the building ever being damaged in any way before.

She thanks the community for their patience and understanding in this matter and said she hopes to see everyone at their next beef supper, which will take place on February16 from 4-6:30pm. The regular youth dances and ballroom dancing lessons will continue as scheduled at the hall.