BADDECK, N.S. — There was no ceremonial silver shovel ground breaking to signify the start of the rebuild of the main lodge at the Inverary Resort.
Instead, a working excavator, taking a short break from cutting through the frozen grounds of the Baddeck resort, was affixed with a purple ribbon with the rest of the scenic vacation spot in its background.
That ribbon was quickly cut during last week’s makeshift ceremony by three generations of the MacAulays before the giant machine was allowed to get back to its important work.
Despite only having a short ceremony, owner Scott MacAulay said there is a sense of excitement and relief around the beginning of the rebuild.
“It’s been quite a process and a lot of emotion around the old one but at the same time you have an opportunity to make a few changes and get everything going on the new one,” he said.
The main lodge was lost to a fire on June 7, 2018, consuming the building that housed a reception desk, guest rooms, and the Thistledown restaurant, pub and a patio.
The focus of the rebuild will be to maintain the nostalgia of the original building, including its big front porch.
“It is very similar and actually I think it is a little bit bigger in square footage and will be able to house a few more guests than the old one,” MacAulay said.
“It’s going to be a welcome return. We’ve been losing a few of the key functions of the (old) place. It has been tough to get everything back to the levels they were prior to the fire but we are very encouraged by all of what is going on.”
New additions to the main inn will include some spa and recreation facilities, laundry and offices.
MacAulay said they had hoped to begin the foundation for the new build before Christmas but its current timing will not negatively impact the summer tourism season as the build works towards a fall completion date.
“Just getting things going in the winter is a little bit slower building than we would normally have but we have to really work to get a lot of the dirty work out of the way before the tourism season, really,” he said.
“By May, I think we will have some rough landscaping done and we’ll be well into the building, and that is really key for us. We want to make sure that the disruption to guests is as minimal as possible.”
The contract to pour the foundation was won by Dave MacLean from East Lake Ainslie. A bidding process will begin shortly for the next aspects of the remainder of the project.
Due to the sensitivity of the bidding process, MacAulay did not want to release any expected dollar amounts associated with them.
Meanwhile, MacAulay Resorts Ltd. continues a legal battle in Nova Scotia Supreme Court with its insurance company, broker and underwriters regarding the June 2018 fire.
According to MacAulay’s statement of claim, the lodge was insured for more than $4 million as a replacement cost. The resort’s lawyer says two of the three policy underwriters are now refusing to pay their share of the insurance claim.
MacAulay said that the lawsuit is continuing and he is hopeful for an outcome soon.
