Remortgaging may be necessary

Group discusses ways to pay for Cedars Club flood damage

The Cedars Club would likely have to remortgage its hall and land if it doesn’t receive provincial funding to pay for damages from the Thanksgiving Day flood.

The St. Joseph’s Lebanese and Syrian Benevolent Society, which operates the Cedars Club, held its annual general meeting Sunday at the club located on 30 MacKenzie St. in Sydney.

President Becky Chisholm said the approximately 50 members on hand discussed how the society would pay for $170,000 needed to repair the facility after it was heavily flooded during the October storm.

She said they applied in November for funding through the province’s disaster financial assistance program but are still awaiting word on whether they qualify.

“We passed a special resolution that, should the government not approve our application for disaster relief funding, we would then be going to some lending institution to borrow the money,” she said.

“Likely we’d remortgage our property and the land that we own.”

The society’s eligibility for the funding will hinge on whether it’s seen as an essential service to the community.

Chisholm, 33, said she’s hopeful the province will “see the value in our society and the role we play in the community.”

She said the society, which was established in 1909, has since evolved to serve much more than just the Lebanese and Syrian communities.

She said the 6,000-squarefoot building, which includes a full-sized kitchen, bar, main hall and stage area, is used for a wide range of community events such as meetings, fiddle lessons, square dances, wedding showers and anniversaries.

“We’re a community cultural organization. We are open to the public, all of our facility is publicly accessible and we serve more than our membership, so we know that we are part of the wider community and not just serving a single group,” she said.

“But at the same time we hold society-led events that celebrate Lebanese and Syrian culture and we educate the community and share that culture with the wider community.

“I think with many cultural institutions and cultural spaces, it’s great value to people in our communities. Hopefully we can continue to be here and continue to be a vibrant cultural organization like we have been for 100 years.”