WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- The West Side Community Center is getting a new roof. The "emergency project" aims to fix a decades-long problem of leaks and growing water damage.
It's the kind of problem you don't always notice, until it starts dripping. Inside the West Side Community Center in Bivalve, Maryland, a steady leak has lingered for years.
"I would say it's been going on in excess of ten years," said Beverly Plachta.
Plachta and her husband, Wally, run the Westside Neighborhood Alliance. The group leases the community center from Wicomico County and is responsible for the day-to-day operations.
"My husband and I maintain the building, pretty much," said Plachta. "I have a small committee who will help as needed."
Based on that, you could argue that Beverly and Wally know the building like the back of their hands. They've become all too familiar with the community center's chronic leaking. Seriously, they have this down to a science.
The Plachta's know that if it rains, they have to move the curtains on stage to the left. If they don't, the curtains get wet. The same goes for the piano.
Taped to the piano is a piece of paper that reads "Pull piano away from stage (leak from ceiling). Leak Above."
A kiddie pool has also become a mainstay on the stage, and it's not there for decoration. It is one of the many items the Plachta's have placed to catch water in an attempt to prevent further damage.
The husband and wife's efforts, along with any help they get from other community members has worked, but it's hasn't prevented water damage entirely.
Water streaks are forming on the walls near the stage, the edges of the gym floor are rotting and withering, and the floorboards on the stage are curling.
"You can feel, it's not as smooth as it is there, it's kind of wavy here," said Wally Plachta, running his hand over the stage.
It's all starting to get in the way, or at least put a damper on the WNA's efforts to revive the community center. The group runs bingo and knitting clubs, offers classes for seniors and is even trying to bring back youth sports.
But it can be hard to grow the game when the threat of constant leaking lives in the back of your mind.
"I usually like it when it rains, but I don't now," said Beverly Plachta.
Now, the county is aware of the problem, and, as we mentioned above, plans are in place to replace the entire roof.
"This has been on our radar for a while," said County Executive Julie Giordano. "We had actually looked at what that cost was going to be, at replacing the roof holistically, or, if we were just going to do some patchwork."
Patchwork has been the go-to over the past decade or so.
"Band-Aids don't last long, especially with the age of this building," said Plachta.
This time around, however, the county is opting for a more permanent solution. Giordano said the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Department has begun exploring quotes and aims to get the project started in the next couple of weeks.
To make funding available and fast-track this project, the county will need to deem it an emergency project. That will require approval from the Wicomico County Council, and Giordano said the goal is to get this on the agenda for the county's meeting on April 21st.