Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH WEBSTER - On Jan. 26, North Webster American Legion Commander Cat Bowers received a call she will never forget.
“My phone rang at 9:02 a.m. It was Dean Glancy, our cook. Dean doesn’t usually call unless something needs fixed, so when I answered, I expected something routine,” Bowers said. “But I could hear water running in the background. At first, I didn’t think much of it - after all, Mondays are cleaning days. Then he said, ‘Cat, we have a problem. I’m sorry to call with bad news, but something is leaking and flooding the Post.’”
That call marked the beginning of a long process that led to the temporary closure of North Webster American Legion Post 253.
After months of renovations, the Legion reopened April 13 and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, April 29, alongside members of the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce.
The renovations came at a significant cost. The original estimate exceeded $98,000, Bowers said, but after working closely with insurance adjusters and mitigation teams, the total was reduced to just under $72,000 and was nearly fully covered.
“It was a blessing in disguise,” Bowers said.
Some improvements, including new flooring, had already been planned prior to the flooding.
“The only additional cost was the dance floor, which we chose to move forward with using our flooring funds,” she said.
The reopening took longer than expected due to ongoing construction challenges.
“We tried to reopen more than once, but every time we got close, something else stood in the way,” Bowers said. “Then came a major hurdle - we were told we could not open without a handicapped-accessible entrance. Our only accessible entry was part of the damaged area that still needed to be completed. We had no walls, no electricity, no plumbing.”
Bowers said she intensified efforts to move the project forward.
“I had to really start pushing and not stop. There were daily calls to insurance, daily calls to contractors,” she said.
Work is still ongoing, including completion of bathrooms near the front entrance.
Bowers expressed gratitude for the volunteers, the community and employees who assisted throughout the process and said she made it a priority to continue paying employees during the closure.
“I have good employees, and I want to keep them,” she said. “They deserved to be paid.”
Now, with renovations nearly complete, she is inviting the public and prospective members to visit. Most Legion events are open to the public.
“We are so excited to welcome back our members, our friends and our community,” Bowers said. “Years from now, when people walk through these doors, they will see a beautiful space, but we will remember what it took to get here. It was hard, and it was a long, grueling process.”
For updates on events, visit the Legion’s Facebook page.
