ESTEVAN — The Orpheum Theatre in Estevan, co-owned by Jocelyn and Alan Dougherty, is making progress on repairs after the severe flooding caused by a storm and ongoing road construction in August.
The historic venue, which has been a fixture since 1914, was significantly damaged due to flooding, forcing the theatre to close.
Jocelyn Dougherty described the restoration process as a painstaking one.
"We're in the middle of restoration right now," she said. "All the sinks and toilets and most of the counters have been torn out in the basement, and most of the tile has come off the walls. I guess all of it has to go off yet, and there'll have to be some new drywall put in down there. And it's still questionable if it needs a new floor as well.
"All the stock, equipment and things that were in the basement were hauled upstairs, and we are figuring out what is salvageable and what isn't. Unfortunately, because it was sewer water, there's so much more involved in the decontamination," she added.
The storm resulted in water flooding of both cinemas and filling the basement beneath the main screen as well. The flooding caused extensive damage to vintage posters, old classic theatre seats and equipment stored in the basement, including freezers and a water heater.
"It's really sad looking at both cinemas because all the carpet's been torn out," Jocelyn lamented.
The Doughertys are waiting on insurance and the restoration company to finalize assessments before more significant repairs can begin.
"We don't yet have an estimate for the total cost of damage and repairs," she noted, adding that their insurance is supposed to cover most of the restoration costs, but not everything. Some business interruption coverage won't apply due to specific exclusions in their policy.
The frustration is even greater, as the theatre is missing out on some big movies released in late summer and into the fall – something that could have helped them after a long tough stretch caused by the pandemic, strikes in Hollywood and then the slowdown this summer due to construction on Fourth Street.
Concerns regarding the flood had been raised by the Doughertys months before. At a city meeting in March, the couple expressed worries about potential flooding during the ongoing downtown revitalization. Jocelyn recalled, "It was one of our questions to the city. We were concerned back in March already. We said, 'If there's some bad weather, what's going to happen if it floods out the businesses?' Unfortunately, that's what happened.
"Our insurance will deal with the other insurance companies, maybe something else will come out of it. Whose fault it was? We know whose fault it was, but nobody's admitting it on the other side. The city said they're working with us, but we've heard very little," Dougherty added.
Among other questions, ahead of the downtown construction, the Doughertys also raised issues about potential long-term damage to their century-old building. Previous renovations had updated water and sewer lines, but older sections of the building, dating to 1914, were at risk due to vibrations from construction work nearby.
Concerns about cracks in the foundation and water supply disruptions during construction were also highlighted, but the city didn't provide any answers, Dougherty said, when those questions were asked in March. And now that some of their concerns have become a reality, there is even more frustration.
Dougherty said another thing she found out is that the insurance doesn't cover employee wages, so with the reopening date still unknown, there are concerns about staffing.
"I'm hoping we don't lose our staff over this either when we're ready to come back. I understand if they decide not to wait, it's not just us hurting, and that's sad too," she said. "And we also have a cleaning company that's been here for years, so they lost a big chunk of their income now because they're not cleaning the theatre every day."
She said ever since the flood, the community has rallied around the theatre.
"It has been overwhelming, I just can't say how much we appreciate the community support," Dougherty said. "People have asked to volunteer and help us if we need help, and offered to raise money to help us out. It's really special to my heart how many people have reached out."
While the Doughertys hope to reopen in time for the holiday season, the timeline remains uncertain. Dougherty shared, "We just don't know when yet. Hopefully, by December, but it's really difficult to say at this point."
She noted they hope to have a better idea of the situation and the timeline come October.
The Mercury and SaskToday will follow the situation.
