by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 15/97) - City hall has finally pieced together the details of the monumental mess a wrecked fire hydrant caused in front of the Laing Building, Dec. 19.

And while the initial costs of clean-up and repair are pegged at $15,000, officials are hoping the taxpayer won't be left holding the frozen bag.

"I can confirm that the city is attempting to recover the costs through (the motorist's) insurance company," said Roy Clark, who handles the city's insurance claims.

On Dec. 19, just before 1 p.m., a motorist backed over a fire hydrant on 49th Street, just below Franklin Avenue, while workers returning to the building from lunch looked on in disbelief.

The collision caused the fire hydrant to rise about a metre from the pavement, followed by a six-metre high, 20-minute gusher of water.

City bylaw constables, public works crews, firefighters and RCMP all responded to the sudden geyser, which shut down 49th Street for much of the afternoon, and turned much of the area into an impromptu skating rink.

Extremely cold weather (-38 C) and snow on the street slowed the city crew's initial efforts to locate the covering that leads to the hydrant's shut-off valve.

City crews worked all that afternoon and most of the next day cleaning up the mess and digging up the ground around the hydrant.

Store and restaurant owners first set up temporary bridges over the extensive rink that formed along the sidewalk on 49th Street and down onto 51st Avenue, and then spent much of last weekend breaking up the ice.

RCMP investigated the collision and said Dec. 20 that no charges would be laid against the vehicle's driver.