To our WCL Family,
July 8, 2025
July marks six months since our building was damaged by the Ice and Snow storm. Although the building stood after the event, there were a lot of unknown conditions that were yet to be discovered about the structure that holds up our roof. After extensive evaluation from Engineers, Contractors, and our Insurance Company, it was decided that saving the building is possible!
The first phase of restoration was to erect shoring towers, which hold the roof in place while repairs are made. While it sounds easy enough, there was one problem, there is a lot of stuff underneath the roof and it needed to be removed to make room for the shoring. Gutters, Ball Returns, Bowling Balls, Tables, Chairs, Ceiling Tiles / Grids, Desks, Games, Doors, Walls, Electrical and Plumbing, You name it, It was probably in the way. This took time and was a lot of work, but with a bit of job reassignment, your WCL staff got it moved! The shoring was installed.
A view inside WCL... Behind the desk, looking at the shoring towers.
With the shoring installed, we waited… and waited… and awaited answers. Our engineers and the insurance company’s engineers hashed out details for weeks, delaying progress. The problem here was that we needed an approval from insurance so we could act on the contractor’s proposal. The second phase, Reconstruction and Stabilization, is taking place now. This will involve installation of a “Belt and Suspender System”, as our engineers have described, to lock the building in post-tension, preventing any additional movement in the future.
Meanwhile, the long delays between milestones on the structure enabled us to think of ways improve! Thanks to our staff, when you return, many changes and renovations will have taken place to benefit the overall operation and flow of the building we call our second home, West County Lanes.
A view inside WCL… In the Bar, looking out (Yes, those decorations are still up!)
While the second phase has begun, the third (and final) phase of construction is still some time away. We are anxious to get back to normalcy, provide for the community, and deliver an exceptional experience once more! Your patience is paramount, by September’s end*, we hope to be welcoming everyone back with open arms! (*We're shooting for Fall 2025, However, unforeseen circumstances have caused delays in construction, so the official date cannot be set at this time.)
We would like to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Clancy’s Irish Pub, Meramec Lakes Golf Course, and everyone who donated to WCL. Thank you for your generosity and financial support. Thank you to KMOV , West Newsmagazine and our followers on social media, for sharing our story and increasing awareness. Thank you to all who have written us. Your love and kind words are being felt and heard, are appreciated, and are motivating us, as we inch closer to the finish line.
Photos: Meramec Lakes Golf Course - WCL Golf Benefit (April 11, 2025) - A sea of Golf Carts
Photo: Meramec Lakes Golf Course - WCL Golf Benefit (April 11, 2025) - Opening Ceremony
Photo: Meramec Lakes Golf Course - WCL Golf Benefit (April 11, 2025) - Dinner
As always, if you would like to support us financially, click the donation buttons at the top of this page.
SUBMIT A QUICK SURVEY TO HELP WEST COUNTY LANES
(https://forms.gle/DjYcyCDUKwBrJgNp6)
To our League Bowlers : Fall Leagues will be affected by the construction timeline. We expect to start the season late and host shortened leagues this year. Fill out this survey to share your plans with us!
To All : We would sincerely appreciate you taking time to share your thoughts and opinions about WCL by filling out a quick survey. We’re using this as a tool to better understand your needs, expectations, and feelings on what is to come of West County Lanes.
We will continue to update you on the progress we are making and will let you know when we have a more concrete date for re-opening.
We love you and sincerely miss you all,
Your family at West County Lanes
To our WCL Family,
March 16, 2025
This weekend was a wild ride with the weather! Let’s just say WCL was one of the lucky ones. The Bowling Center is completely in-tact and leak free following the storms. That being said, some folks didn’t get so lucky. Now, more than ever, it is important to check in with family, friends and neighbors. Offer a helping hand if you can. We will get through this together!
Work inside WCL is moving forward, slowly but surely… The shoring team has completed phase 1 of their work, erecting large towers that are temporarily holding the beams up, while the contractors lift the big steel brackets or “shoes” that will interface the wooden beams securely with the shoeing towers. So far, there are two “shoes” on and 13 more to go! As the “shoes” are installed, the shoring team will come back to make a permanent connection to the towers so the repair work can be done as safely as possible.
Construction is projected to finish in 2-3 months but, the timeframe is still a moving target.
If you would like to support us in the meantime, Donate to West County Lanes.
Thank you for your support and kind words. We are also sending our love and prayers to those affected by the storms over the weekend. We will continue to update you on the progress we are making here and will let you know when we have a more concrete date for re-opening.
We love you all,
Your family at West County Lanes
To our WCL Family,
February 14, 2025
We have some exciting news to share today! The future is looking good!!
Since January 7th, we have been working with insurance on approving our claim, meeting with our contractors and engineers to come up with game plans, moving things out of the way for the incoming shoring team, emptying lockers upon request, cancelling events, and meeting with our League Officers / Committees to discuss the Bowling Season that came to an abrupt end. That’s just a glimpse of what we’ve been working on.
Here comes great news… WE’RE APRROVED!!!
The insurance company has approved our claim and are working on getting us funds for the restoration that will get West County Lanes back to, and better than, pre-loss conditions! We are so relieved to hear this! Initial estimates have been in the $700,000 range for the cost of repair alone. The timeline still looks to be 2-3 months to complete the work necessary but there are a lot of things that have yet to be determined. This is a HUGE project and there are lots of moving pieces so, an official timeline of the repair process is not available at this point.
Although insurance is covering the structural damage, we still have a building that is 60 years old and in need of upgrades as it is. There are Electrical, Plumbing, and Mobility projects that will need to happen to meet today’s modern building codes. At this time we are still working with contractors to submit plans to the city and fire department for approval. Your donations are a HUGE help when it comes to these repairs that will make West County Lanes an even BETTER and SAFER place to be!
We would like to highlight businesses that are raising awareness and funds to restore WCL!
*If you would like to join the list of fundraisers benefiting WCL, send us an email* mail@westcountylanes.com
Clancy’s Irish Pub - 40 Old State Rd, Ellisville, MO 63021 - clancysstl.com
Clancy’s is running a Yeti raffle to benefit West County Lanes!
LEARN MORE: CLANCY’S IRISH PUB - YETI RAFFLE
Meramec Lakes Golf Course - 321 Birdie Ln, St Clair, MO 63077 - merameclakes.com
Meramec Lakes is hosting a Golf Tournament to benefit West County Lanes!
LEARN MORE: MERAMEC LAKES GOLF COURSE - GOLF TOURNAMENT
DONATION UPDATE!
As of February 14th, 4:30 pm, our community has graciously donated a total of $13,640!
We are asking you to continue the fight to restore the place we all know and love!
If you would like to support us, click the “Donate to West County Lanes” button. It will take you to our website where you will find information on how you can donate as well as support other businesses that are running their own fundraisers to benefit West County Lanes.
Your donations are appreciated, as well as needed to directly support the repairs and upgrades necessary for the good times to roll at West County Lanes, for generations to come!
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Your Family at West County Lanes
To our WCL Family,
February 7, 2025
(Updated 10:40pm)
Today marks one month since we were forced to close our doors due to structural damage from the ICE / Snow storm, early January.
Since then, we’ve been working with insurance, engineers, contractors and the city of Ellisville to approve the shoring necessary to hold things in place / make things safe to work on. At this time the approvals have not been made by our insurance company and we can’t fund the repairs on our own.
The city of Ellisville condemned the building and will not allow us to work out of any area inside the building at this point. This is proving difficult for Bowlers who wish to retrieve personal belongings from lockers, among lots of other things that are inside WCL. Send an email to: mail@westcountylanes.com, if you want to join the list of Bowlers who would like to pick up equipment.
We’ve also been interviewed by a handful of reporters who want to spread the word and get us the help we need:
Caroline Hecker, of FIRST ALERT - KMOV Channel 4, stopped by February 7th to interview us and share our story.
- View the story on FIRST ALERT 4's website here.
Laura Brown, of West Newsmagazine, published a story on us.
-Read the story on West Newsmagazine's website here.
Maria Keena, of KMOX - 1120 AM, interviewed us by phone
-We don’t have a link to share for this one.
We are continuing to fight for the place we know and love. If you would like to support us, Donate.
Thank you for your support and kind words. We will keep you up to date on the progress we are making. We love you all and can’t wait to welcome you inside once again.
Your family at West County Lanes
February, 02 2025:
(Updated 8:21 pm)
We have reactivated our "GoFundMe" donation page that we used during the COVID shutdown. Consequently, the amount raised started at $21,700 (From the COVID Campaign). That being said, when we post future updates regarding the status of our fundraiser, we will deduct the starting amount of $21,700.This page: "West County Lanes Support" was created by us as an additional way to donate online. "GoFundMe" is a third party and charges West County Lanes a transaction fee of (2.9%+$0.30 USD per donation) "to cover the cost of credit and debit charges, safely delivering donations, and help them offer new ways to donate" When you donate to us through "GoFundMe" , expect to see a charge from: "GOFUNDME WEST CO"
Alternate ways to to support us directly are;
1) Donate via an online payment link to our payment processor, "Square".
- Our "Square" payment link is: "West County Lanes Support"
- Donations made through "Square" will be automatically transferred to our account and provide relief quickly.
- "Square" is a third party and charges West County Lanes a transaction fee of (3.3%+$0.30 USD per donation)
- When you donate to us through "Square", expect to see a charge from: "SQ *WEST COUNTY LANES
2) If you do not feel comfortable donating online, or paying transaction fees to third parties;
- Mail a check with your donation to made out to "West County Lanes" : "PO. Box 441, Ballwin MO 63022"
- When mailing your donation, be sure to include your contact info (phone and email inside envelope) so we can thank you!
NOTICE: There are many people who are out to scam you by posing as something they are not. Please verify that you know who you are sending money to before you send money to anyone. If you have any questions regarding donations for West County Lanes, please call us at: "(636) 227-1469" or, email us: "mail@westcountylanes.com"
Thank you for your consideration, time and support!
We can't wait to have you back, rolling in good times, on the lanes soon!
Your family at West County Lanes