Residents living in Williams Lake’s Glen Arbor have not been able to move back since the attic sprinkler system burst a week ago Monday for the third time in less than two years.
Residents were forced out the first time in December 2018, the second time on Sunday, Jan. 19 and then just recently on Monday, Feb. 3.
Read more: Ruptured sprinkler system forces Glen Arbor residents to evacuate for the third time
The City’s chief building inspector Gary Deane told the Tribune Tuesday the damage is extensive.
“It is more extensive than the last two times, even the original break. The one last year affected the one wing, this time there have been two separate breaks that affected the other wing, the central portion and some of the other wing that was repaired last year.”
Deane said they had the first meeting yesterday with the insurance adjusters and some contractors to see what can be done, but it is too early in the process to give a timeline as to when people can move back in.
“I think the insurance company is planning on bringing a sprinkler engineer in the near future just to assess the whole system to see why there have been failures. It’s concerning we’ve got a system that’s been serviced for 16 years and hasn’t had any problems or issues and then we have three breaks in less than two years.”
The insurance companies, he added, are not going to ‘guess and try and patch things together.’
Mayor Walt Cobb is the chair of the Glen Arbor board and said Tuesday he is frustrated, even joked it was time to find a new chairman.
Cobb said he has another meeting Tuesday to determine if the main part of the building can be repaired first so that tenants whose suites do not have water issues can move back in sooner than later.
Most of the tenants are staying at the Sandman Hotel and Suites nearby with the exception of two or three people that are staying with families, Cobb confirmed.
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