The cost to repair Nanaimo’s Rutherford Elementary School after it was occupied by protesters last year totalled $72,120.
Contractor fees represented the bulk of the cost, at $56,220, said Dale Burgos, spokesman for Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district.
Contractors included a security firm, an engineering firm that assessed hazards and provided information on safe work procedures, and a property-restoration company.
The cost to use district staff on the job was $8,228 and supplies were $7,612.
Repairs had to be carried out after 26 protesters moved into the school in October. They were advocates for homeless people in Nanaimo, where a tent city had been established on city-owned industrial land.
Police cordoned off the area after protesters entered the school. The occupation ended the following day after police went into the school and talked to the protesters.
More than 20 people were arrested and charged with break-and-enter and mischief.
Rutherford school is currently empty. Its fate will be considered as part of the school board’s long-range facilities planning process, expected to start soon.
