ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Ron Lohrman’s retirement from Kodak gave him the money and time to open the Rochester Chess Center in 1989.“He was US amateur champion in 1969 and chess was his passion and he wanted to be able to give back to the community because there was no place to play chess,” said his son, Shelby Lohrman.Ron passed two years ago.Shelby, who had worked alongside him, took over the business.“We get kids to think through problems and around problems,” Lohrman said.Now, though, it’s the center that has a problem – a big one, that started with a big boom.“The whole building shook,” Lohrman remembered. “We literally thought someone bombed the place.”Late last year, a driver, having accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes, slammed into the center’s back wall.“I calmed (the driver) down, said listen this is why we have insurance.” Lohrman said.
But the insurance, Lohrman says, is now the problem.
A contractor came in and said the whole wall would need to be replaced at a cost of $43,000…