A water pipe that burst in the main mechanical room caused major flooding at Martensville city hall this weekend.
The city’s security alarm system notified management of an issue just after 8 p.m. CT on Saturday. Staff found water throughout the main floor of the building.
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Water was immediately shut off and the front door was even opened to release some of the water.
“At this point we aren’t sure what caused the water pipe to break, but it appears that water on the main floor reached significant levels,” Dillon Shewchuk, community and economic development manager, said in a press release.
“We are working with our mechanical contractors and insurance provider to determine why the break occurred.”
The city’s emergency notification system, NotifyNow, was used Sunday morning to alert people of the water main break and inform them some civic services may be interrupted.
City administration are working to implement a contingency service plan so they can continue to operate under the current conditions.
“Based on an initial assessment, we are quite certain day-to-day business at city hall will be impacted but we don’t know the full extent, how residents will be affected,” Shewchuk said.
“We will be able to make a more accurate assessment once we know the extent of damage to computer systems and physical files.”
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Staff will be relocated to a temporary office space at the former Shop Easy grocery store on Centennial Drive. Some managers will work from other city facilities.
The Tuesday, Oct. 17 council meeting has been cancelled.
People are being asked to follow the city’s website, Facebook and Twitter for regular updates. They can also call 306-683-5576 Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
A disaster management company has started the clean-up at city hall.