The Cowichan Valley Regional District’s headquarters on Ingram Street will remain closed for the next two weeks after its offices were significantly damaged when a water leak impacted all three floors in the building last weekend.
The CVRD has relocated its main reception and building permit administration services to the Cowichan Community Centre while the headquarters are closed.
The public is able to access these services in person if necessary, but the district encourages anyone who needs to do business with the CVRD to do so by phone or online whenever possible.
Staff were alerted to the flooding early Monday morning, and took immediate steps to secure a restoration company, electrician and other contractors, according to a press release.
“While a great deal of work was completed throughout the day to remove standing water, install driers and dehumidifiers, and assess electrical system damage, it is expected that the building will remain closed for the next two weeks while the moisture is removed and critical restoration takes place,” the release said.
RELATED STORY: BURST PIPE SHUTTERS CVRD HEADQUARTERS
Core information technology systems were restored after being taken offline on Monday morning, and CVRD staff have access to their email and other internal networks.
However, given the ongoing assessment and restoration work, staff will not be working from the Ingram St. building until next week, at the earliest.
“Fortunately, the majority of our staff are well prepared for working remotely, and many have already been doing so for the past 12 months,” said Brian Carruthers, CAO of the CVRD.
“We will continue to provide our services as best we can and appreciate the patience and understanding of residents at this time as we deal with this incident and work diligently to repair our physical office space. The CVRD will provide the public with updates on the restoration work and potential for in-person service delivery at its Ingram Street office as soon as it is available.”
