It took more than a year of rebuilding and roughly $5 million to get the Petro Bowl bowling alley in Lake Charles reopened after Hurricane Laura left it nearly destroyed.

A Lake Charles staple since its 1984 opening, Petro Bowl now has brand new pinsetters, TV screens, bowling lanes, pins, balls and shoes. The lanes were reduced from 48 to 34, with that space now housing a larger 40-game arcade room. Carpet was replaced with laminate flooring.

Debbie Stroderd, Petro Bowl’s general manager for the last four years, said business and league play have been steady since a soft/partial opening Nov. 1. The snack stand and bar reopened last weekend. Birthday parties hosted on the weekends are already booked up for the month, she said.

“We’ve been super busy,” Stroderd said. “We even have a waiting list during the daytime. I guess you could say the public has been waiting to go somewhere with family and friends to have fun.”

Compared to Hurricane Rita’s 2005 landfall, Stroderd said Hurricane Laura’s destruction was far worse. The canopy near the front entrance was destroyed, and more than 60 percent of the roof was peeled back. All of the automated pinsetters were destroyed, and the 8-foot circular windows were blown out and replaced with a faux window material. Bowling pins, balls and shoes all had to be replaced, along with all of the electronics.

“On the building’s west side, the offices and bathrooms were saved,” she said. “Everything else was pretty much gutted.”

The facility had no electricity for eight months after Hurricane Laura’s landfall because the storm blew down electrical poles, Stroderd said. While the poles were being rebuilt, contractors relied on generator power to do repair work.

The damage to Petro Bowl wasn’t limited to last year’s hurricanes. Stroderd said the February freeze that occurred while construction was ongoing also caused damage. The business didn’t flood during the historic May rainfall, but it set an already delayed project back.

“Getting supplies alone has been horrible for the contractor to get us up and running in decent timing,” she said. “Other than that, we would have been open sooner.”

The cost of supplies was a major factor in cutting the lanes down and building the new arcade.

“We were limited on our funds because of the (COVID-19) pandemic and hurricanes,” she said.

Stroderd said some repairs are still being finished, including one of the restrooms.

“It’s just odds and ends, but nothing the public has to worry about,” she said.

Stroderd, a Lake Charles native, said she has strong ties to Petro Bowl, having worked there 16 years and meeting her husband, Rusty, there. Enduring the devastation of Hurricanes Laura and Delta, followed by more than a year’s worth of construction has been daunting, she said.

“It has been a journey and an experience,” Stroderd said. “I’m ready for things to be back to normal, and we are finally seeing some kind of normalcy. I’m very glad to see it come back.”

Stroderd said she plans to revamp Petro Bowl’s website, but residents can get updates on the Petro Bowl Facebook page.

Stroderd said Petro Bowl is seeking employees. For more, call 477-7554.

Petro Bowl is open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday and noon-9 p.m Sunday.