Not a pretty picture
Meredith Snider's job was going great, until the day the St. John River met her at the front door.
Almost a metre of water forced its way into Gallery Connexion on Queen Street last week.
Now Snider and the artists who use the gallery are dealing with extensive damage that threatens the future of the business.
"We were in the middle of programming, making funding arrangements and we had an artist-in-residence coming for July," said Snider, the gallery's executive director.
"The water brought everything to a screeching halt. I just don't know when we'll get the business back on its feet."
The water has been pumped out of the artist-run gallery, but the damage remains.
There's dampness in the air and contractors are busy ripping down drywall and tearing up the rippled flooring.
The whir of industrial-size fans drowns out conversation and empty hooks line the remaining walls where pictures used to hang.
There's little left that resembles the upscale art gallery that once filled the space.
"It's a devastating blow to see the extent of the damage," Snider said. "This building has been the home of Gallery Connexion for 24 years.
"Now we're just trying to pick up the pieces and get out of the way of the contractors in hopes that soon we'll be able to set up in here again."
Two gallery spaces, an office, kitchen, resource room and four artist studios are being gutted at the downtown business.
Snider said she's already applied to the provincial government for disaster assistance funding and she's been in contact with the gallery's insurance company.
"We rent this space from the government, but seven of their buildings received damage from flooding, so we're just hoping they are able to bring this back up to (building) code and let us move back in. If we have to fundraise to make up for money we don't get through insurance or disaster assistance, we will."
Walther Lauffer manages a hotel on Queen Street next to the St. John River. Located just a few blocks from Gallery Connexion, it managed to avoid extensive damage.
"We had to evacuate about 200 guests last week when water started seeping into the basement," Lauffer said from his office at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
"We stayed closed for seven days to deal with the flooding, but we're open now and ecstatic about it."
Hotel staff members teamed up during the flood to build a protective wall of sandbags, lift furniture off the floor, and run generators to pump water from the basement.
The fitness room and the hotel's day spa, Salon Arabesque, were damaged in the flood, but both are expected to open today.
Cleanup continues in the hotel basement, where several walls and some flooring are being replaced.
"Many downtown businesses were hard hit by the flooding, so I think we were lucky to not have more damage than we did," Lauffer said. "All I can say is I'm very proud of our staff and very pleased to be open again."
Most businesses in Fredericton's downtown are open now that the river has receded to 6.6 metres.
And Snider can't wait to join them.
"We want to be open, so this is a setback for us, but we've had a good year otherwise with lots of funding announcements and exciting things planned," Snider said. "I just hope the cleanup goes smoothly and isn't too expensive so we are able to continue being a vital part of the downtown core and Fredericton's art community."
To register for disaster assistance contact Service New Brunswick by calling 1-888-298-8555 or visiting www.snb.ca/emo
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