After playing host to over 1,500 Slave Lake evacuees, the Mulitplex will be ready to go for Athabasca University’s convocation this weekend.
The Multiplex served as a hub for displaced Slave Lakers, housing over 1,000 people and storing and distributing donated food and supplies. It also worked as a temporary town hall where residents received daily updates on the status of the fire.
At the peak of its use, up to 1,800 people were in the Mulitplex at once. That meant a significant clean up effort was required.
It took a lot of overtime hours, volunteers and a few hired hands to bring the building up to standard for convocation, but it got done, explained Rob Balay, manager of regional recreation services.
“Our staff was stretched to the limit so we thought it was the right decision to bring in some cleaning contractors to help out,” he said.
Two cleaning companies, one locally-sourced and one from Edmonton, were brought in to do a “deep clean” after the evacuees returned home. Two other local cleaning services were present through the two weeks to keep the facility maintained.
“There was no way our staff could keep up with the demand on a 24-hour basis,” Balay said.
The extra hands made quick work of what was left to be done, bringing the multiplex back on track to host the convocation. June 6 was the deadline for work, giving the university three days to bring in its audio/video team, construct the stage and set up everything required for the event that runs June 9 to 11.
The Multiplex will remain closed that week to prepare for the Rotary International District Conference, which will host over 500 guests.
Multiplex members will be given an additional month of membership for the time lost.
The facility will open for regular use on June 20.
