Month: October 2024

Remediation and Demolition has been completed. Now ready to start reconstruction.

Brothers Bobby Burkett, Tim Delaney, Jim Charrette, David Marrs and Greg Warr (our newest EA) traveled to Dunedin Lodge for an EA Degree.

Join us in welcoming our newest Entered Apprentice, Brother Greg Warr, who was initiated on Thursday October 24th. We look forward to Brother Warr’s continued Masonic journey. The lecture was delivered by R∴H∴ Joe Griffith (District Instructor), the Charge by W∴ Bobby Burkett and the Lambskin Poem, Br∴ Buck Owens.

We were honored to have our D∴D∴G∴M∴ Michael St-Laurent in attendance and want to continue to thank Northside Lodge No. 283 for the use of their Lodge while we are undergoing hurricane reconstruction.

The Master is sending out this latest update on the Lodge’s remediation and rebuild.

We know that we have many concerned members and friends who have been asking if they can help physically with the cleanup and demolition of the downstairs. At this time, the Lodge has decided that we will go with aprofessional remediation company due to the health and safety issues involved with the remediation. Due to the amount of mold and mildew the company doing the remediation will wear full breathing apparatus, tyvek suits and gloves. 

We hope to get remediation started this weekend, obviously keeping and eye on the approaching storm. We hope to have the remediation and demolition completed by the end of the month and hopefully be able to start using the upstairs again in November. Of course the downstairs would still be ‘under construction’.

We also want to thank M∴W∴ Don Cowart, M∴W∴ Richard Lynn, R∴W∴ Michael St-Laurent and all the Grand Lodge staff who have reached out to us and are offering us help, aid and assistance to the fullest extent.

We will continue to keep you updated as our recovery efforts continue.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE from the Master

Angela and Shawn Rae along with her remediation crew received the chemicals from their supplier late yesterday afternoon and made a special trip by Lodge at 7pm to do an evaluation and start the Choline Dioxide treatment. Shawn contacted me after they were done with some news:

The conditions were worse than they expected downstairs

2. They only treated the downstairs last evening (Oct 2)
3. They will go back this afternoon and treat upstairs (Oct 3)
4. We will need to stay out of the building until Friday (Oct 4) afternoon – VERY IMPORTANT
5. When we go back in (after Friday) to remove the damaged flooring/drywall/ etc…Angela recommends wearing N95 masks, latex gloves, and even disposable Tyvek overalls ($15 at Home Depot). The reason for this is that even with their treatment there can be hidden pockets of pathogens behind the drywall and under the flooring.
6. Once we get the flooring/drywall/ceiling tiles, etc removed, she will come back out and do a second treatment to assure that all biologicals are killed.
7. Shawn was not able to get the front door locked with the key, so we are buying a hasp and installing it on the front door today.
8. So, in a nutshell we are not able to get in to start work until Saturday morning.
9. Angela said that the pictures and prints upstairs should be fine until after the final treatment and then we can remove them to our AC storage unit
10. Angela said that all books and papers (including member files in the Secretary’s office) need to be disposed of. If we are going to attempt to digitally capture the information from the member petitions – we need to wear latex gloves and an N95 mask.

Finally, we will store the salvageable folding chairs, steel kitchen tables, kitchen utensils, etc…upstairs for the duration of the lodge overhaul.

Brothers, please stay away from the Lodge until further notice; unless requested. Traffic on the islands is bad enough as it is for those who have important business and recovery efforts to perform. We will keep all informed as we move forward in our Lodge’s recovery efforts.