Chip burglars caused extensive damage to RR Rec. Centre

By Ken Johnston
Editor

They will likely go down as the most expensive bags of chips and cans of pop in history.
On March 22nd someone broke into the Rainy River Community Centre and stole five bags of chips and a few cans of pop. The culprits broke a kitchen window, just above the sink. Entered the kitchen, kicked in the canteen door, took the chips and pop and apparently exited the building. There was no evidence that they went beyond the kitchen.
However, something else happened later that night that left their mark on the facility in a big way. The cold overnight temperatures caused a water pipe to freeze and eventually burst. Water flowed all across the main floor of the community centre and eventually down the heat registers and through to the basement wherever it could.
When employee Mickey Gustafson entered the building after the Easter long weekend, he discovered that about an inch of water had been on the main floor and quite a bit of water made it to the basement. In the basement all the light fixtures were full of water. “It is a wonder we did not have an electrical fire,” said Recreation Director Meaghan Shanks.
A professional emergency cleanup crew was brought in by the town’s insurance company. In the end they had to remove all the flooring on the main level, pull up all the skate-guard flooring in the basement (which is where the change rooms are for hockey) and clean everything to prevent mold from growing. They also told Shanks not to have any functions where people were walking on the main floor for safety reasons.
The damage was so severe the cleaning company had to dispatch an extra crew to do the work. All the tile flooring on the main level was not recoverable. However, the skate-guard flooring in the basement will be able to be relaid.
The basement used to be prone to spring flooding so a number of years ago the facilities furnaces, equipment lockers and shower rooms were build up or placed on blocks to avoid flooding from beneath. No one could have imagined the floodwaters would come from above.
Since the water did come from above, a professional was brought in to check the furnaces out and they were given a clean bill of health.
Other damage on the main floor included the newly built walls for the fitness room. “Fortunately the drywall soaked up most of the water and prevented very much of it from getting into the fitness room,” said Shanks. But that means the walls had be cut out and will have to be repaired. As for the new equipment, much of which have electronics on them, Shanks said the verdict is out right now. “We think they are all working but the moisture may have affected the computers. We will keep an eye on them for the next month or so.”
In the mean time the cost estimates for the damage have been placed in the tens of thousands of dollars. The town has a $5,000 deductible. Once the go ahead from the insurance company is given work will begin on replacing all the flooring as quickly as possible to get the facility back in business.
“While April is usually slow (after hockey season) we did have a community kitchen and a rib dinner planned for this month. Right now we may not be able to have either event,” said Shanks. She was also upset that without the facility it is difficult for her to plan and implement any recreation programs. The fitness room is also closed to the public until further notice.
She is hoping that work to replace the flooring will begin within the next week and that they are, at the very least, open for the Rainy River Trade Show on April 26th.
“This is very disappointing to see what happened out of a bag of chips and a pop,” concluded Shanks.
She noted that the Rec. Board has been seriously considering putting bars on the windows and installing security cameras. This may speed that consideration along to reality.
Mayor Deb Ewald said that the entire incident coupled with $7,500 in damage to the showers at the park last fall is “truly upsetting.”
Town Councillor Marilyn McAlister, along with the O.P.P. have been working on a Neighbourhood Watch Program for Rainy River. It appears that the need for such a program and perhaps security cameras at town facilities is still there.
Anyone with information about this crime can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously and may qualify for a cash reward. Or they are asked to contact the O.P.P.