A flood caused by a sprinkler malfunction forced a two-day closure of Kelowna’s newest school.
Members of the Lake Country fire department were called by an automated alarm to HS Grenda Middle School early Thursday.
By the time the water was turned off, the damage caused by the faulty sprinkler was extensive, officials say.
“The entire third floor was flooded,” Central Okanagan Public Schools superintendent Kevin Kaardal said. “The art room and library sustained water damage to the drywall.”
Dryers and dehumidifiers were placed in the school on Thursday and restoration work was expected to continue over the weekend so the school could re-open on Monday.
It’s expected, however, that the art room will not be usable until early April, Kaardal said.
During the two-day closure, school officials offered “Zoom check-ins and continuity of learning activities” for students.
HS Grenda is the Central Okanagan’s newest school, having opened last September. It costs more than $40 million to build. It was designed to accommodate 600 students in Grades 6, 7 and 8.
