The ancient York lodge in Lisbon Falls (WGME)
LISBON FALLS (WGME) — The latest casualty of the cold is a masonic lodge in Lisbon Falls.
A burst pipe led to thousands of gallons of water flooding the place.
Since the 1800s, the ancient York lodge has stood strong, but Maine’s polar temperatures got the best of its pipes.
“We think the water probably started Friday or Saturday, so it had run two or three days so several thousand gallons,” Master of Lodge John Wierzbicki said.
Treasurer Tyler Golletti says an upstairs faucet burst, spraying out water against a bathroom door, onto the floor and making it all the way to the basement.
“There was probably half to three quarters of an inch over the whole floor in the dining area, parts of the kitchen were saturated with water standing water on all the tables and counters in the kitchen it was quite a mess,” Golletti said.
The lodge has no insurance for the building to cover the cost of demolition and repair work.
Now members are looking to the community for help.
Members hope to list the building on the national register of historic places, and with the lodge’s 150th anniversary next year, a speedy recovery is high priority.
A GoFundMe page was created for people to support the lodge with repairs.
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