Sydney school, courthouse remain closed due to water damage from frozen pipes

Two public buildings in Sydney, N.S., will remain closed for some time due to water damage after pipes froze and then burst on the weekend.

Officials at one of the high schools are still finding moisture in the walls and the provincial courthouse was extensively damaged, along with some paper files and documents.

The temperature dropped rapidly from 3 C on Friday morning to -23 on Friday night. That combined with high winds to create a frigid wind chill on Saturday.

Early Sunday morning, a sprinkler pipe burst in a second-floor science lab at Sydney Academy, raining down water on the cafeteria and the main hallway, said Lewis MacDonald, director of operations for the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education.

"It's really the main thoroughfare of the school," he said. "Very difficult to isolate. It's probably the worst possible area that it could have happened in, because there's just a lot of traffic in that area."

The water poured down through the ceiling for about 30 minutes before it could be shut off.

Contractors have been working to clean up the mess since Sunday, but by Wednesday, there was still no estimate of when repairs would be finished because some walls are still wet and contain asbestos, said MacDonald.

"It's really just a function of the area where we were hit at Sydney Academy," he said.

"If it was one wing, or a different part of the school, it may not have been a case where we had to close the school. But in this particular case, where it was, we had no choice but to close the school."

Administrative offices are open and the teen health centre is reopening, said MacDonald, and other areas will be assessed as the cleanup continues.

Lynn Crawford-Carter, the regional director of programs and student services, said students have school-issued laptops and switched back to virtual classes starting Thursday, just as they did during the pandemic.

"Really, it's not a big transition, because over the past few years, students and staff have gained knowledge about teaching and learning online," she said.

Arrangements are still being made to accommodate some of the programs that run outside of class, including sports.

Bev Phillips, whose son is in Grade 11, said he would rather be in school, but he and his classmates got used to online learning over the last couple of years.

"They know the routine of it, this kind of 'been there and done that' and I'm hoping it doesn't drag on too long."

Apart from a letter sent out late Tuesday letting parents know that classes would resume online on Thursday, Phillips said they have received little communication from the school.

"The letter made it sound that this could be a fairly extended thing," she said.

Phillips said her son is on the varsity basketball team, which has had a home game on Friday switched to the opponent's gym. But she's not sure what the school will do next week, when regional playoffs start.

Phillips said she understands why school officials can't let students in during the cleanup, but wonders why the pipe burst in the first place.

"I just remember thinking when we heard about Sydney Academy and other schools around the province and the courthouse, how did all these water breaks happen?" she said. "We've had cold weather before and this hasn't happened and in other parts of the country this doesn't happen."

MacDonald said other schools had water pipes freeze, but not all had them burst and the rapid drop in temperature combined with strong winds created an abnormal weather event.

Meanwhile, the provincial courthouse in Sydney is closed until at least the end of next week due to water damage on three floors.

The Department of Public Works, which looks after the lease on the building, said several pipes burst, affecting the second floor, main floor and basement.

The ceilings, flooring and furniture are still being assessed and the Department of Justice said initial reports are that damage to files and documents is not extensive.

A spokesperson for Nova Scotia Judiciary said in a Wednesday news release that provincial court matters in Sydney's arraignment court will be handled virtually from the courthouse in Wagmatcook First Nation until further notice. Most other provincial court cases in Sydney, including trials, are being rescheduled.

General division matters in Supreme Court are being handled virtually from the courthouse in Port Hawkesbury. Family division matters are being handled primarily by telephone, according to the statement. 

Although the building in Sydney is closed, a drop box for court filings is available inside the front door at 136 Charlotte St., which will be checked daily for date-stamping by court staff.

Staff in Sydney will be in touch with lawyers and clients with scheduled court time to provide further Information. Anyone unsure of their status is asked to contact court staff. 

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