Gainesboro Working To Protect Lodge

Gainesboro officials examining ways they can prevent further damage to the city’s Masonic Lodge after recent flooding repairs.

Public Works Supervisor Johnny Pigg said there is a creek across the road from the lodge that seeps water into the lodge’s foundation when heavy rains come through. Pigg said the city will try to fix the roadway and creek to permanently resolve the issue.

“We have contacted some contractors to come out and look at it and give us just (an) estimate of what they think that it’s going to cost, and then once we have a ballpark of what we think it’s going to cost we’ll have to go through our bid process,” Pigg said. “But we’ve not actually had anybody contact us with (an) actual estimate of what they think it’s going to take to fix it.”

Pigg said members of the lodge recently remodeled a portion of its basement due to water damage. Pigg said the repairs have been completed but members are waiting for the problem to be fixed before they return cabinetry and other items to the basement.

“They’ve still been able to use the lodge,” Pigg said. “The part of the basement that had flooded was like their kitchen area and I think that they had to do some things different there, but as far as being able to use the lodge they’ve been able to.”

Pigg said it is important to preserve the lodge because it is a historic part of the Gainesboro community with a long record of serving local citizens.

“They have a Christmas Toy Drive every year and they help a lot of needy children and they do a lot of different things for the community to help out,” Pigg said.

Pigg said they do not have a timeline for the work but they want to get it done as soon as possible.

“The way that our bidding process and everything is, we’ll have to run it in the paper that we’re taking bids,” Pigg said. “And then they’ll have to examine the bids and go over them and see what kind of bids they’ve got, how much they are, and then go from there.

Pigg said there was a rock wall laid forty to fifty years ago to prevent the creek from seeping under the road but the wall has been falling apart due to age.

“It’s not been anything real significant recently, it’s just over the period of years,” Pigg said.