The Northeast Kingdom Chamber moved back to its old office in the Green Mountain Mall this week, and the organization’s staff members and trustees could not be happier.
Following the massive Feb. 3-4 water-main break that flooded its office, the NEK Chamber was forced to relocate to temporary quarters at the north end of the mall while repairs and renovations were made. The chamber had been located in the former PJ Hallmark store for the past month.
Even with soggy quarters in the hours and days following the water-main break, the chamber never closed its doors. Two days after the flood, in fact, the chamber sent off boxes of materials for Canadian travel shows, despite the staff having to dodge a litany of dehumidifiers and industrial fans to get the mailing out. While the office may have been closed to the public that first week, due to flood-related safety concerns, work continued inside the office, as the crew still answered phone calls and tourism requests and organized upcoming events.
The chamber workers were greatly assisted in their efforts in the last month by their trustees (especially President Brian Mulcahy, Tim Tierney and Wes Ward), who helped move the office from its office to the temporary space and then back. Mulcahy was especially helpful in getting the office computers up and operational, drying out and fixing two of the staff computers within hours of the disaster. He also took on the onerous task of researching and ordering the necessary replacement computers for the three machines destroyed in the flood.
“We never thought we would be in the position of recovering from a flood, but we are so thankful for the assistance and support we received from our trustees, friends and members during this challenging time,” said Executive Director Darcie McCann. “We are also very grateful to the mall owners for finding a replacement office for us so quickly, as we not only needed to be and running as soon as possible for our members but to support our mall neighbors.”
McCann noted many people were surprised at how much damage four to five inches of water can wreak on a building, with many wondering why it took weeks for most of the stores and offices to re-open. In addition to tile, carpeting and computers being destroyed, the water wicked into the walls of the mall up to two feet, she explained, creating mold and moisture concerns. With the renovations almost nearly complete on all 12 businesses and offices affected by the disaster, shoppers can be 100 percent confident that those concerns are no longer a worry.
“There are a number of spaces, including the chamber office, that look brand new as a result of renovations,” said McCann. She noted that maurice’s, Payless Shoes, Optical Expressions and Olympia Sports underwent significant renovations as a result of the flood. Sear’s, located on the south end of the mall, is actually expanding, said McCann, with construction expected to be completed on the store within the next two weeks.
“Perhaps it is our nature as a chamber of commerce to be eternally optimistic, but there have been a number of very positive developments that have occurred in the mall as a result of the flood. Not only has our region realized what an important resource the mall is,” she said, “but the flood has focused attention on the mall’s efforts to rebuild, renovate and attract new tenants.”
CUTLINES:
TOP PHOTO: NEK CHAMBER/VERA LONGE – With giant dehumidifiers and industrial fans everywhere in the NEK Chamber office in the days following a February water-main break, it looked and felt a bit like “Where’s Waldo,” as chamber staffers, like Vera Longe, had to dodge equipment and files to get work done. The chamber is proud it did not ever close its doors, despite the flood itself and moving to a temporary location. It returned to its old office this week after significant renovations were made.
NEK CHAMBER/JENN GARAND – In the days following a huge water main break at the Green Mountain Mall in St. Johnsbury, which poured about 400,000 gallons into the mall in just over three hours, there were moments that made the chamber staff laugh. Jenn Garand holds one of the many brochures hit by the flood, an emergency preparedness workbook. The chamber was forced to relocate to temporary quarters for a month following the Feb. 3-4 flood and just moved back to its old office this week.
NEK CHAMBER/WET FILES – Unlike some of the clothing stores in the Green Mountain Mall that had little water damage to its merchandise, the NEK Chamber had many files ruined by the massive water-main break on Feb. 3-4. Those that could be saved were dried in three rooms above the main floor of the mall. The NEK Chamber returned to its mall office this week after temporarily being relocated elsewhere in the mall.
NEK CHAMBER/COOKIE PARTIES – Until the beginning of March, very few of the stores had re-opened following damage wrought by the Feb. 3-4 water-main break in the Green Mountain Mall, so the chamber took upon itself to serve as the den mother of the store workers and construction crews, sponsoring cookie and milk parties outside its temporary office. The mall relied almost exclusively on local workers to make repairs to the mall, which was damaged heavily in the flood.
NEK CHAMBER/PRESIDENTS – When a disaster strikes, the NEK Chamber learned you truly do get by with the help of your friends. Current NEK Chamber President Brian Mulcahy, from the Rabbit Hill Inn, and past president Wes Ward, from Wes Ward Auto Repair, were among the chamber trustees and members who volunteered their time and effort to get the chamber back up and operational.
All photos by Darcie McCann, NEK Chamber executive director