INUVIK
The multimillion-dollar Children's First Centre suffered extensive water damage March 1 during a windstorm.

Patricia Davison, the executive director of the Children First Centre, posed with some of the enormous ice buildup underneath the building following a flood in the early hours of March 1. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

The centre, which has been open about 18 months, was partially flooded after a single sprinkler head malfunctioned that morning.

Patricia Davison, the executive director of the centre, said there were about two inches of water pooled on the floor from the multipurpose room and kitchen area in the middle of the centre that had flowed all the way to the west wing of the school and the gymnasium area when she arrived around mid-morning.

Davison said she was unaware of the situation until she arrived at the centre for her regular weekend check.

Fortunately, a passerby heading to the Midnight Sun Recreation Centre spotted the ice building up as water gushed out and notified the municipal staff at the centre, Davison said.

"Someone walked into the rec centre and said, 'Boy, there's a lot of ice over at Children First. Somebody ought to check that out,'" she said.

Davison said from there the Inuvik public works department was called in and the water had just been turned off when she arrived.

"I had happened to come for the weekend check of the building and I came into the building and the fire alarms were going off.

"One of the sprinkler heads in the multipurpose room beside the kitchen somehow was set off or jeopardized, spraying water into the building. When I came late in the morning, from that area all the way down to the gym had two inches of water on the floor. The drop ceiling in the multipurpose area had dropped.

"We also had water seep out wherever it could into the crawl space and outside. If you walk around the building, you'll see the beautiful icicles under the building and the pool of ice."

Davison added, "Fortunately the water all ran one way into the building, from the multipurpose area to the gym, so the restoration crew was here within hours, cleaning up the water and bringing the humidity down. They were amazing, and have done an awesome job."

The insurance adjusters were expected to be on the site starting March 4, Davison said.

The Town of Inuvik owns the centre, and pays for the building insurance, while the Children's First Society operates it and has its own, separate insurance.

"We're anticipating two scenarios," Davison said. "One, that they'll say this wing (the east wing) of the building is fine, and we can do our business as usual.

"We have a backup plan, for the school-age program, which is running out of the Inuvik Youth Centre right now."

The kitchen has been damaged, but arrangements have been made to provide the centre's nutrition program and the staff is reviewing options for the other programming. Aurora College is one possibility to host those activities if the centre is not available for some time.

"Our biggest concern is the families. The families use our services so they can work or go to school or do those things they need to do to provide for them. Our concern is that being closed puts them under stress. That's why we're looking for alternative plans, in case we're not able to open."

The centre serves about 90 children, aged from six months up to 10 years old, Davison said.

"It's not like there is one building in town we can go to with those numbers," she said.

The centre was built to consolidate childcare operations in one spot in Inuvik, Davison added.

"We have the perfect building in the perfect location, and now we have to find a way to offer those services in an environment that won't be perfect. But Inuvik is such a great community that we've already had partners come forward to offer us assistance and spaces and have asked what else they can do.

"The parents have been very understanding about the situation as well," she said.

Kelly Penner, the chairperson of the Children's First Society, said it had been a "hectic" week.

"The building is owned by the town. The town is working with their insurance adjuster and have brought up a structural engineer to examine the building. At this point we don't know when it will be back in operation."

Grant Hood, the senior administrative officer for the Town of Inuvik, said he had been away and couldn't comment on the situation for the moment.