GRAND ISLAND, NY (WKBW) — Niagara Sailing Club burning to the ground, something Commodore Jack Dally never expected to see.
“I saw the smoke from a mile down the road, all the fire engines and everything,” Dally said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
He said the Grand Island club, founded in 1932, burned down in fifteen minutes.
“It went up so quick,” Dally said. “There wasn’t anything to be saved.”
But that’s not where the story ends; last march the club was in flames, this may, it is being rebuilt.
Dally said construction began at the start of the year.
“It started coming together very, very quickly in the last couple of months,” Dally said.
He said while some jobs are being contracted out, club members are helping where they can, like cleaning the pool.
“It’s a wonderful continuation of people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help keep this little wonderful operation going,” Dally said.
Dally said after the club burnt down, other clubs nearby welcomed members to their clubs and helped fund-raise.
“It’s been an outpouring of community togetherness,” Dally said. “Everyone is really coming together to help us.”
Dally said the club will likely reopen late this summer. In the meantime, they will host as many events as possible, starting with their Memorial Day flag raising.
