Big Lake Rec Center sustains damage in earthquake

BIG LAKE — Bill Haller was driving down Big Lake Road on his way to the Big Lake Recreation Center when the massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit Southcentral Alaska. But he was there for the powerful aftershock that followed.

“It was kind of a scary thing. It really shook it,” Haller, the recreation center manager, said of the facility. “I can’t even imagine what the (7.0) did.”

Now, Haller and a crew of volunteers are working to repair the damage to the 26,000-square foot building that features a naturally cooled ice rink and doubles as a community center. Operators of the facility are also facing a hefty price tag that goes along with the repairs.

“I don’t know the hard numbers yet, but I’m guessing somewhere between $75,000 and $100,000,” Haller said.

Supporters have already started a Go Fund Me Page, and Haller said he will try pursue additional funds through resources such as the Mat-Su Health Foundation. In the meantime, Haller said they are doing whatever they can to make sure the facility is ready for its users.

“The sprinkler system is the main repair that needed to get done,” Haller said. “All the acoustic ceiling is bent and destroyed. There are plumbing issues we had to fix.”

But the ice rink withstood the first earthquakes and the aftershocks that followed.

“The ice is fine,” Haller said.

The center is scheduled to host the three-day Big Lake Lions Christmas Classic high school hockey tournament starting Thursday. The event, which included Houston, Wasilla and Palmer, has been canceled. Haller said the facility could have been ready for the tournament, but Houston High School is the tournament’s host school. Houston High is also one of several schools in the Mat-Su Borough School District the sustained significant damage, and school district officials are still unsure when the school can be re-opened.

“We’re going to be able to continue to operate now,” Haller said.

Haller said Mantech Mechanical quickly took care of the building’s plumbing problems. But the big thing right now, Haller said, there needs to be a fire attendant on hand any time there is anyone in the building.

“Somebody dedicated to pull the fire because the fire sprinklers are out of commission,” Haller said.

Haller said the damage to the sprinkler system has been inspected, and they are waiting for the work to be done. The acoustic ceiling will be replaced once the sprinkler system is finished.

Contact Frontiersman editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.