A Nanaimo elementary school will be closed until next week as it undergoes repairs following flood damage this week.
Supervision was provided to École North Oyster students, but the school will be closed until Tuesday, Sept. 20.
In a social media post, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools advised Thursday, Sept. 15, that the school experienced significant flooding affecting several classrooms. Dale Burgos, school district spokesperson, confirmed the school will re-open Tuesday. Air quality testing was done on unaffected areas yesterday, said Burgos, and the district received results for affected areas this afternoon, Sept. 16, getting the all-clear.
There was construction taking place at the school site, with the building envelope project 30 per cent complete, and Burgos said the damage was caused by water coming through the roof onto flooring. While remediation work is not covered by the existing budget, the district does not expect to be responsible for any of the costs associated with the damage.
“Work is generally flood remediation – replacing damaged tiles and ensuring that everything is dry – fans, dehumidifiers, opening up walls to get at the wet areas, etc.,” he said.
Staff and restoration companies will be on site, working through the weekend, according to Burgos.
“There were about seven classrooms that were affected, there was the multi-purpose room and the gym,” said Burgos. “The good thing is that they’re confident that they can get most of the classrooms, if not all, ready to go for Tuesday. In the end there’s still a chance there may be some classrooms that we just can’t use, but we have enough room in the school that we can accommodate all the students.”
The school will be closed on Monday, Sept. 19 in observance of a day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
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reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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