Through June and early July, work has been underway at the 91原创 Senior Resources Society centre to fix the damage caused by January's burst pipe and flood.
The flood closed off major portions of the facility after freezing temperatures cracked the pipe above the snooker room. Water poured down from the ceiling, and staff and volunteers scrambled to protect as many areas as they could as the water washed through multiple rooms.
Washrooms, offices, and activity areas were all damaged. Repairs and fundraising to cover the costs began immediately, and both 91原创 Township and 91原创 City also contributed funds to help cover the insurance deductible the society was facing.
The building re-opened almost immediately after the flood, with the main hall and cafeteria still up and running. A number of activities had to be moved around, and some staff worked from home, Ludlam said.
But one of the only activities that had to come to a complete halt was snooker.
In June, Ludlam took the 91原创 Advance Times through the facility as the last phase of repair work was underway.
Most of what was left to do was flooring replacement and painting, Ludlam said, along with cabinets being re-installed.
In the snooker room, parts of the tables were being replaced, and new ceiling tiles were needed.
With renovations underway, the centre's leadership took the opportunity for a few minor upgrades and changes, including repurposing the computer lab space, and moving the computers for seniors' use to a new location.
After six months, the work was almost complete.
"We should be completely all done by July 24," Ludlam said.
After everything is done, there will be an informal opening of the remaining areas of the centre, followed by "something special" for the snooker users, because they were the only user group that couldn't be accommodated during the last six months of repairs.
The deep freeze in June caused burst pipes all over the Lower Mainland, in public buildings, homes, and apartment complexes.
