By Adam Pack
The Community Pool at Elk Lodge 1758 is in a state of severe disrepair for yet unknown reasons this summer.
“We drained the pool on Monday [May 23] to do our routine maintenance like we do every year around this time, repair any cracks, stuff like that, and then after we got done we left it dry just like normal,” explained Elk Lodge President Don Alts. “Well, by the next day it was starting to heave up slowly inch by inch and didn’t stop until Wednesday.”
The pool now appears to have lifted out of its frame, deep end first, cracking the concrete around it and causing major damage.
A contractor from Affinity Pools of Beckley has come out to examine the pool, and give a visual examination report to Alts and the lodge for insurance purposes. The insurance for the elk lodge property, including the pool, is funded through the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, the national organization over local Elk Lodges. Upon getting the report from the contractor, the insurance agency for the Elk’s requested a more thorough diagnostic inspection to determine the cause of the damage before they can decide to what extent, if any, the damages are covered.
“It’s really devastating to us,” Alts said of himself and his wife Teresa. “We’ve been volunteering here at the lodge for nine years and this pool has been a part of the community for decades. It’s the only thing of its kind in town, a free pool for families to enjoy. We’re really heartbroken about this.”
Alts said that the timeframe for hearing a verdict from the insurance agency is currently “hurry up and wait.”
More information will be published as it becomes available.