Water, water everywhere

Hose failure leads to flood in Mayor’s office and tax department

Water damage closed Shire Hall temporarily and caused significant damage to the historic seat of municipal government. Sometime overnight on Wednesday a water supply hose became disconnected from a sink in a washroom next to the mayor’s office.

By morning the hose had been spraying water everywhere for some time. “It accumulated in my office,” explained Mayor Peter Mertens. “Then the water started to collect in the drop ceiling in the tax department until it couldn’t bear the weight any longer. Over half of the ceiling came down—the rest of the ceiling was soon going to follow. When staff arrived they shut everything down and turned the electricity off.”

By Friday cleanup crews were still gutting damaged flooring, insulation and ceiling materials. At that time it was unclear still how far the water had permeated the building.

On Monday morning the main entrance to Shire Hall was reopened to the public. Some services had been moved to alternate locations within the building and some employees had been temporarily relocated until restoration is complete.

Cleanup and restoration is expected to take up to 12 weeks. Mertens says that while floors are open and areas closed off—property staff will look at potential improvements or modifications to improve customer service.

Acting CAO Robert McAuley thanked customers for their patience over the past few days.

“On behalf of the management team, I want to publicly acknowledge the tireless efforts of our staff to restore functional working conditions as well as continue providing quality customer service despite challenging circumstances,” said McAuley. “While complete restoration may take up to 12 weeks, all services regularly offered at Shire Hall remain available and accessible to the public.”

Mertens confirmed the cost of restoration work will be covered by the municipality’s insurance.

There was no word whether Shire Hall would appeal its water bill.