Meg Hibbert
Contributing Writer
Members of Salem Moose Lodge 2573 celebrated the reopening of their lodge hall, social quarters and kitchen Saturday, after a broken water main on Kessler Mill Road in late December produced a chain reaction that resulted in more than $30,000 in damages.
It all started Dec. 27 when a water main sprung a leak. City crews completed repairs that night but unknown to anyone, the lodge’s backflow preventer on the fire system locked open, Lodge President Don Ridenhour explained, and water flowed throughout the lodge.
“Nobody had any clue,” he said, “until somebody called to say water was flowing out the front door and down the steps.”
Moose Lodge members called the Salem Fire Department and Fire Marshal Bill Paxton turned off the water valve outside, Ridenhour said.
Then the cleanup began, he said, showing a video of what members found when they got inside.
Photo courtesy Salem Moose Facebook
Water had seeped up into drywall for about 2 feet all over the lodge, warped the dance floor, soaked the carpet, warped paneling, got into the child room and game room, and a little of the kitchen, Ridenhour added.
Before PuroClean of Roanoke could get there, members brought in their wet vacs, grabbed mops and buckets and generally helped get the water out, the lodge president said.
“We ran fans and dehumidifiers for two weeks,” he added. “It was a big mess.”
Over the next few weeks carpet and flooring was torn out and replaced, drywall put in and painted and lots of other tasks were completed to make the lodge look good again. The lodge was closed for a couple of weeks, with limited use for members who count on it for games, social time and meals.
On Saturday, Feb. 4, members gathered for a grand re-opening meal, complete with Karaoke, so everyone could get a look at the work.
“I want to thank all the members and people in the community who came out to help,” Ridenhour said, especially the Roanoke Moose Lodge on Catawba Road for letting our members come in while we were closed.”