MARYSVILLE – The Marysville Public Works Building at 80 Columbia Ave. will be closed to walk-in visitors until further notice after sustaining significant flood damage during a flash rain storm on Wednesday, June 9, city officials announced June 10.

The two-story building houses about 60 Public Works and Community Development personnel. While second-floor Public Works employees will be able to remain working in the building, about 20 Community Development staff are relocating June 10 to a vacant city-owned building downtown at 6th Street and Delta Avenue, said Doug Buell, Public Information Officer

Customers seeking planning and building permits, construction inspection, and business and pet licenses will not be able to access the Public Works Building, so are asked to visit the city’s website to download necessary forms online.

Flood levels reached as high as 12-18 inches in the Public Works Building parking lot, entering the building and causing significant damage to floors, fixtures and furnishings.

City officials are conducting a damage assessment Thursday after the facility was struck by the storm late Wednesday afternoon, Buell said.

Around other parts of Marysville, Public Works vactor crews were busy through the night clearing storm drains that backed up at key road intersections, including Fourth Street and State Avenue downtown, and roadways near Cedarcrest Golf Course that also experienced high water levels during peak traffic times, Buell said.

Storm drains were not clogged by debris, but rather had sustained successive days of rain system-wide, culminating in Wednesday’s storm that dropped 1-1/2 inches of rain in the first hour, Buell said. The city in recent weeks had just carried out scheduled storm drain maintenance, yet the overall rain volume left no place for some of the water to go, according to Buell.

“We have taken all possible steps to ensure the safety of our citizens and our city staff who were impacted by the flash storm and its aftermath,” Buell said.