LAFFERTY — A new facility where community members can gather is on its way to the village of Lafferty.

The Lafferty Moose Lodge recently received approval from Moose International to construct a new building.

Lafferty Moose Lodge Administrator Marsha Butler said it is a project years in the making.

“We’ve been trying for a lot of years to get something different to be able to help our older people, especially with the coming up and down the steps,” Butler said.

The lodge has been at the current building for almost 90 years. The Lafferty Moose itself has been operating since August 1919.

Lodge members plan to break ground on the project at the beginning of May. The contractor for the new building is Denoble Construction of St. Clairsville. Members hope that the building will be completed by August, when it will celebrate its anniversary. During the construction of the new building, the current lodge will stay open.

Butler said the lodge is considering the possibility of potentially putting up a play area for the members who have children.

“The whole membership is just so excited,” Butler said. “We owe a lot of thanks to our committee chairman, John Dubiel, and his team of guys Denny Vincenzo, Tim Kyer, Brad Applegarth and Charlie Rudnick who were all on his building committee.”

Butler added that the lodge had a former administrator, Harry Smolira, whose biggest dream was for the lodge to have a new home. Smolira, who was the administrator for 20 years, died in December.

“A lot of our older members who would always say they’d never get to see that day (when a new building would be built) will get to see that day, so that makes us all very happy,” Butler said.

The Lafferty Moose Lodge will be holding a chicken dinner fundraiser from 3-5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the fundraiser are available at the lodge. Saturday will also include an auction, 50-50 raffle, and a lottery tree. Profits from the event will go toward purchasing multiple items needed for the inside of the new building. The lodge plans to host more fundraising events in the coming months.

The Lafferty Moose Lodge is always accepting new members. If interested in becoming a member, contact a current member.

Moose International was founded in 1888 in Louisville, Kentucky, as a fraternal organization for men. It quickly expanded and now has 1 million members, a school for children in need and a retirement community for older members. Moose INternational and local lodges perform community service that includes fundraising for nonprofits and first responders among other causes.

The Moose lodge in Lafferty hosts community events and activities in connection with holidays and plays a big role as a gathering place in the community.