The Rural Voice, 1999-03, Page 29Carol was afraid to look out the
window at a couple of older
greenhouses near the house, for fear
they might have been damaged. They
were fine, but then Kevin, who lives
with Lorraine on a second house on
the property, saw damage to the
largest, newest greenhouse out of
sight of the main house. They went to
investigate. At first, Carol says, she
couldn't see the damage but she
rounded a corner and "I stopped dead
in my tracks". The wind had sucked
4x4 posts right out the ground,
leaving clean holes behind. The 140 -
foot long west wall of the greenhouse
had been lifted up, then deposited on
the rest of the greenhouse, leaving a
tangled mess of wood, metal and
plastic. "Your heart goes right into
your stomach," Carol says of her
reaction to the destruction.
On hearing of their problem
neighbours, relatives and friends
from their church descended to help
with the clean-up. With 40 per cent
of their climate -controlled space
gone, all plants had to be crowded
into other greenhouses, some of
which aren't usually heated in the
winter.
November's mild weather was a
blessing as the debris was quickly
cleared away and contractors arrived
to do cement work for the
replacement. Though the new
building would take months to arrive,
all the preparatory work could be
carried out. In January a truckload of
bits and pieces arrived and
construction began with family
members coming from as far as
Elmira to help out.
By mid-February the new
greenhouse was ready to receive its
first crop of plants. The new structure
is 144 feet by 87 feet with high
ceilings and a superior ventilation
system to anything they've had in the
past. In the long run, Carol says, the
pain of the storm has given them a
fine new facility that will make their
operation more efficient.
Dave described the storm, Carol
says, as just a "bump in the road".
That road has led them on a totally
different path than the Steckles
imagined 26 years ago when they
bought their first frame but they've
found a way to keep their family
working together and enjoying what
they do.0
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