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Catholic school board to return home after fire

Staff at the Yellowknife Catholic Schools will have a new beginning in their old office following a fire that engulfed the building earlier this year.

Claudia Parker, superintendent of the school board said about 12 staff, who have been in a temporary space just down the street, will be moving into the downstairs section of the board office building at 5124 49 Street in the coming weeks.

“We're moving in over the Christmas holidays and on Jan. 2 we will be back into our downstairs floor,” she said. “The upstairs floor won't be ready until probably April.”

Staff at Yellowknife Catholic Schools will be returning to its home board office on 49 Street after almost a year of being displaced by fire. Last March, a fire caused extensive damage throughout the building and forced staff to relocate down the street. Superintendent Claudia Parker says the board will begin returning to the board office over the Christmas holidays.

Last March fire crews from the Yellowknife Fire Division attended an early morning fire at the board office. At the time, a tenant in one of the upper level apartments reported smoke in her apartment.

The damage from the fire was so extensive that the upstairs had to be completely gutted as did two offices on the lower level. Because of smoke billowing throughout the building, numerous items had to be replaced including carpets, while ceiling tiles had to be repainted and insulation had to be replaced. Numerous new pieces of office equipment also had to be purchased, Parker said.

A week after the fire, the board moved into a temporary location in the first floor office space of 5114 49 Street – the same building occupied by CJCD 100.1 The Moose FM radio station. Parker said the new location came quite quickly and was convenient because staff did not have to be dispersed in different locations and a suitably sized conference room was available to hold regular board meetings.

Parker said the renovations will give the board the opportunity to redesign some of its building space including the upstairs where some bathrooms will be replaced by more offices. Apartment spaces in the upstairs where some tenants lived have also been refurbished. Two units remain.

There will be a cost to the board, Parker said, but she couldn't provide the full amount as it won't be fully calculated until after all refurbishing work is done in the spring.

“There have been a little bit of extra costs in regards to that and in regards to replacing furniture and resources because the insurance company gives you money for the value of depreciation for the items,” she said. “So you don't get exactly what the cost is going to be.”

Miles Welsh, chair of the board, said he hadn't been fully up to date on the details Thursday but added he is pleased with how the board has prepared over the past year.

“We are obviously looking forward to moving into the new space when it is ready,” Welsh said. “We are dealing with conditions that are smaller than what we are used to. But we were pleased to have been able to move into this space (Moose FM radio building) to make due. It isn't ideal, but it has been working out well.”