Stalemate over historic pool hall in Alberta village leaves owner behind the 8-ball

The old billiards hall in Holden, Alta., was where Darvyn Sen learned to shoot pool as a kid.

"At the very beginning when I was a kid in there, the brass spittoons were in the corner," says Sen, who has lived all of his 68 years in the small village of roughly 350 people and now owns the century-old building.

"I learned to shoot pool in there, I learned to swear," he says. "It was just the place."

At one time, the words, JOHN'S SNOOKER ROOM HOLDEN, were written in block letters across a false front made of red brick. But the pub has long since shuttered its doors and for years its faded sign and boarded-up windows stared out onto the village's main drag, 100 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

The structure is now used for storage. But despite its dilapidated state, the former pool hall is at the centre of a years-long legal battle as Sen and the village pour time and money into a fight over a historic building that may never be restored — and who is ultimately responsible for its ruin.

The original pool hall was extensively renovated in the 1940s but by 2014, the municipality decided it was unsightly and ordered Sen to fix or demolish it. A judge later issued a court order listing required repairs.

Instead, Sen has pitted himself against the municipality in court, the case spawning both a lawsuit by Sen and a charge of contempt against him.

"I got a big mouth, I say what's on my mind. I guess they don't like that."

The village administration declined an interview request from CBC News.

Sen alleges his building is no worse than other decaying structures owned by the village and members of its council, according to a statement of claim filed in 2017. He is seeking $75,000 in repair costs for damage he says was caused by a village-owned building next door plus $20,000 in general damages.

Wander through Holden and it's not hard to find other buildings in various states of disrepair. The Country Kitchen restaurant, built in 1934, is still open despite its peeling paint, Beside it is the Leading Edge Kitchen and Bath Store, a one-storey commercial building built in 1946, with boarded windows and fading signage.

Despite a number of historical buildings in Holden that date back to the boomtown era, few receive provincial heritage grants, says Dave Maruszeczka, president of the Holden Historical Society.

"There's a lot of buildings that have been identified as potentials for that but there has not been a big engagement in training with the owners to search around," he says.

Owners must be the ones to apply for heritage grants for repairs and restoration, he says.

Beside the former pool hall is a garage used by the village for storage. It sits on a crumbling foundation and some of its windows are broken.

Sen alleges in his lawsuit that because the building did not have eavestroughs, it diverted water into Sen's storage building and ruined its foundation.

But the village denies "each and every allegation" in Sen's lawsuit, according to its statement of defence. It claims that "any damage to the Plaintiff's Building was caused solely by the Plaintiff."

'It's misery'

Sen purchased the property around 30 years ago to store equipment related to his then-nearby flooring business. Health issues forced him to retire in the late 1990s.

Living on a fixed income has made upkeep prohibitive, he says.

But after the 2016 court order, Sen has completely redone the frontage and siding, taking much of the work on himself despite the fibromyalgia and heart issues that forced his early retirement.

Between legal fees and repairs, Sen estimates he has spent tens of thousands of dollars.

"This is a beautiful little place to live and raise kids, which I did, but that peace in the valley has been over for quite a while," Sen says.

"It's misery."

Ruth Adria, head of the Elder Advocates Society of Alberta, is supporting Sen. She says seniors make easy targets and his situation is not unique.

"When you have been around like I've been around decades, it's really often the same story with different players," she says.

Adria compared Sen's story to that of 86-year-old William Yarmovich, a resident of Ryley, Alta., who several years ago was served with a $4,000 painting bill for his house after being unable to follow a municipal directive to do so.

That case garnered media attention and even the assistance of then-Progressive Conservative leader Jason Kenney through a GoFundMe campaign.

"It's not acceptable," said Adria. "And unfortunately, you see, when you're older you're not you're not regarded the same way."

Adria has sent emails to village administration demanding financial restitution and an apology for Sen.

Judge says case needs closure

Sen most recently appeared in an Edmonton court in June.

The village argued Sen was in contempt of the court order because he had not re-sided the southern wall adjacent to the village garage and because he had not used an approved material for the frontage.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Douglas Mah directed Sen to try again to fix the building but stopped short of ruling him in contempt.

He also noted that both Sen and the village must at some point decide "when enough is enough."

"I do think the dispute over this building has gone on long enough and has already consumed more than enough village, personal and court resources," he said.

"I do appreciate that each party thinks the other side is acting unreasonably."