The Ridge Meadows School District was forced to close Webster's Corners Elementary school on Wednesday, due to an unusual theft.
School staff found that thieves went into the crawlspace under the school, and stole the copper pipe for the school's plumbing system. The school staff only realized this after the crawlspace began to flood. Websters Corners is located at 25554 Dewdney Trunk Road.
District maintenance director Rick Delorme is on site on Wednesday afternoon, assessing the extent of the damage. He is hopeful that the district will be able to make the necessary repairs in time to reopen the school on Thursday morning.
Metal theft has been on the wane in recent years, as municipal bylaws and new provincial regulations have created a system in which scrap metal dealers are required to take the name and contact information of someone selling them scrap metal, and report suspicious circumstances to police.