Moose Lodge buys former Showboat Pub

Members of Camas Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge 1042 have been busy, volunteering their time to prepare a new meeting site in Washougal.

The Moose purchased the property at 389 “E” St., for $350,000, from Clem and Lonna Dworaczyk on May 4. The property includes .34 of an acre and a 2,924 square foot building previously occupied by the Showboat Pub & Grill.

The Moose Lodge, at 227 N.E. Lake Road, Camas, was purchased from the Moose by the city in 2000. The building has been rented by the Moose since that time.

The Camas Parks and Recreation Commission has recommended a $1.7 million option to remodel the Camas Moose Lodge for use as a community center. The building was constructed in the 1940s as a boat repair shop.

“We hate to lose the one on the lake, but that’s how it goes,” John Heiser, a Moose trustee, said yesterday, from the former Showboat site. “We are excited about being in Washougal. The city has been excellent to work with. We even had a visit from the mayor.”

Banners, announcing that the former pub site is the new home of the Moose Lodge, will soon be installed.

“We want the community to know,” Heiser said. “It’s a great location, with great visibility.”

Lodge members enjoyed a prime rib and steak feed as a “send off” Saturday night at the location on Lacamas Lake, and bingo was played Sunday. Weekly meetings will be held at the new site during the renovations.

Heiser said he appreciates how the community has come together during the transition. Excavator Rental Services, of Camas and Washougal, has donated the use of a mini excavator, and Washougal Lumber provided lumber at a discount.

The Washougal Eagles No. 4390 offered Moose Lodge members use of their building during the transition. Some of the Moose members are also Eagles members.

The interior renovations, which will include the kitchen, are expected to be completed by mid-July. The former pub was built in 1951.

Camas City Councilwoman Melissa Smith, the council liaison to the Parks Commission, has said remodeling the former Moose Lodge could make it available for additional events and activities, while the current community center at 1718 S.E. Seventh Ave., is also utilized.

In April, the council unanimously approved a professional services agreement with J.D. Walsh and Associates of Vancouver for $102,021. The contract is for the design and estimated costs associated with of the improvements to Heritage Park and the Moose Lodge building.

The proposed improvements include a new parking area for up to 60 vehicles and trail connections at Heritage Park and renovation of the former Moose Lodge building — now known as “Lacamas Lake Lodge.” Site improvements at the lodge could include the parking area, concession patio, dock replacement, walkways and landscape and the addition of a left turn lane at Lake Road.

The design process is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.

Camas Mayor Scott Higgins has described the remodel of the Moose Lodge as a potential “Phase 1” of a community center project. Additional phases could eventually include additions on the Buhman property, located across the street from the lodge.