Legion lounge back in business

More than 14 months after three feet of water poured down the Westlock Legion’s stairs and destroyed the basement, the newly-renovated lounge officially opened.

Legion members and guests were already celebrating the $147,000 lounge Oct. 14 with drinks and a game of pool before the ribbon-cutting ceremony and cake.

“I would like to thank all the volunteers and people who put in their time and money to get this place off the ground,” said Legion president Dave Hall.

The Legion received a $75,000 government grant and $5,000 from the town, plus some fundraising to help pay for part of the new space. A few more fundraisers will cover the remainder.

“Literally this place was gutted because the drywall was replaced floor to ceiling, the floor was taken out, the bar — this place was literally barebones after the flood,” Hall said.

After the Aug. 2016 flood that left the basement swimming, followed by many months and volunteer hours, the lounge now has laminate flooring, an extended bar with warm burgundy walls, and three donated Wi-Fi TVs.

The space has a different layout with the centre wall being torn out to open up the room,and the divider between the pool area and the seating area being rejuvenated. Renovations also added a privacy wall to the women’s washroom.

“The chairs were all reupholstered because when the flood water was in here, it was literally halfway up the backs of the chairs,” Hall said.

“Everything had to be replaced in here.”

Along with new almost everything, with the exception of one table, the Legion purchased two new tournament-sized pool tables and lighting.

Legion manager Avril Campbell said it felt pretty good to have the work finally completed.

“At least it has a new look,” she said. “This time we did it ourselves so we could take our time with renovations.”

Hall said there is some tweaking left to do, like installing three uniform cabinets and rearranging the furniture.

“It’s just nice to have the lounge back up and open,” he added.

“There was a few hiccups but if there wasn’t, then there’d be something wrong because everyone has an opinion on how things should be done,” he said with a grin.

The lounge was completed two months ago, but Hall said they wanted to smooth everything out before the grand opening.

The Legion is available to the general public but Hall encouraged Legion membership, which requires filling out an application form.