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Keyano College on-time following major completion of flood repairs

The Keyano College campus in downtown Fort McMurray is shown on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 after a massive ice jam caused flooding and forced about 13,000 people out of their homes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Halinda

After extensive repair and restoration work, the re-entry process at Keyano College is officially underway.

The 2020 Flood caused various degrees of damage to four buildings at Clearwater Campus as well as its student housing.

In total, the event caused $48-million in damages.

RELATED: Alberta provides funding to Keyano College to aid in flood recovery

Keyano’s Vice President of Infrastructure and CIO, Tracy Boyde said success wouldn’t be possible without the College’s partners.

“The Insurance and restoration companies, and various subcontractors, worked together to deliver the project on time. Although some work is still ongoing to deal with some deficiencies, those will not impact College operations.”

Floodwaters impacted the Utility Tunnel, which houses electrical and HVAC services.

This led to the loss of power and HVAC to Clearwater Hall’s ‘Purple Palace’, which received minimal damage.

There was also extensive damages to the Syncrude Sports and Wellness Centre (SSWC), Oilsands Power and Processing Engineering Lab (OPPEL), and Bob Lamb Buildings.

Penhorwood and Riedel student housing complexes need remediation work before tenants can return.

Project On Time

Keyano College and insurance company representatives agreed that Aug. 15, 2020, would be the target date for substantial completion of the project.

The College said major repairs and restoration was on time allowing it to prepare for the start of the Fall Semester.

Managers had access to the buildings as early as Aug. 17 so they could develop re-entry plans for their teams.

The SSWC, OPPEL, and Clearwater Campus will open to college staff on Aug. 24.

SSWC opens to the public by mid-September.

Student housing will open at the end of August as cleaning and minor non-flood related work continues in Penhorwood and Clearwater Hall.

Keyano said its work with insurance providers at Bob Lamb Building and Riedel Housing is ongoing.

While there is no timetable for the Bob Lamb Building, work on Riedel should finish by the end of October.

Fall online program delivery remains on schedule.