The historic Martin Exeter Hall will undergo extensive renovations this summer after its basement was flooded for the second time in three years.
The District of 100 Mile House has contracted Excel Restorations to repair the latest damage, caused by the spring flooding of a nearby creek, said Todd Conway, the District’s director of community services. All the mitigation work has already been done, including removing the drywall and anything else damaged by water.
“Exeter Hall has seen significant water damage that was due to the creek rising,” said Conway, who is overseeing the repair work for the District. “It was just confined to the basement area so we have the restoration company in now.”
The District is still awaiting a cost estimate of the repairs, which are slated to begin by mid-August, once the creek has lowered, and to take about a month and a half to complete.
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This is the second time the historic building has flooded. In 2017, flood damage occurred as a result of a leaky hot water heater that went unnoticed during the wildfire evacuations. Those repairs cost around $125,000 and were completed in February 2018.
To help mitigate or prevent future flooding, Conway said the District has reached out to the Province to ensure the main culvert under the highway is maintained and clean so it won’t back up the creek. The District is also considering putting a pumping system in the basement to deal with any more flooding in the future.
“Exeter Hall is closed at the present time due to COVID-19 so I don’t think there will be any inconvenience by the time all the repairs are done,” he said.
