Part of the Vernon courthouse is closed due to flooding that took place over the weekend.
According to Ministry of Public Affairs officer Liam Butler, an air conditioning unit malfunctioned Saturday and released water into the second floor conference room and into the sheriff’s office of the 105-year-old building.
“Once we investigated what caused the flooding, we discovered mould in the sub-flooring so we brought in an environmental health contractor Sunday and he dug through the sub-floor and he found out the concrete was crumbling,” said Butler. “We did call in a structural engineer Monday and he’s currently conducting an assessment to determine the extent of the damage.”
As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office, courtrooms 101 and 201, a conference room and a waiting area remain closed and are closed off to the public.
“We’re working with judiciaries to ensure that everything carries on as planned but at the moment, there are no delays,” said Butler. “Some master’s cases were moved to Kelowna. So master’s are specific details of a trial but not an actual trial and some of them might be moved to Kelowna but again, those aren’t really trials so we’re not expecting any issues there.”
He said that there is no timeline for when the rooms will be reopened as authorities await the engineer’s assessment.
“I don’t really know the specifics but we’re just going to make it work for now.”
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