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Renovations expand at storm-ravaged Churchill Square apartment building

Renovations expand at storm-ravaged Churchill Square apartment building

Every tenant at Churchill Square Apartments in St. John's will be out of their homes for about nine months, according to the property manager.

Owners of the St. John's apartment building have decided that all 63 residential units should see extensive renovations, according to Charlie Oliver, head of property management company Martek Morgan-Finch.

Last week, he said about 40 units were set to be extensively renovated.

Now Oliver says each residential unit will be torn down to the studs and rebuilt, a process that should take about nine months.

The roof of the apartment complex was heavily damaged by hurricane-force winds on March 11.

The structure saw further damage a few days later after heavy rains sent water through temporary repairs made to the roof.

Oliver says the property owners are taking a precautionary approach to ensure that all damage is found and repaired.

"Strip off all the Gyprock … so that any water that was after getting in is obviously gone, and you remove the probability of mold and that happening [in] three and four years," he said.

"Even in units that didn't seem like they had a lot of damage."

Looking for accommodations

While the apartment owners are not offering financial compensation, Oliver said his group is working to help tenants find other accommodations.

"We've been doing our best to connect directly … all of the 63," he said Wednesday.

Oliver said the business tenants on the ground level of the building should only be out for 3 months.