Push for a pause on Masterton town hall demolition
Photo:
LDR / Emily Ireland
A final attempt to pause the demolition of Masterton's Town Hall will be floated at a council meeting on Wednesday.
Councillor Tim Nelson has presented a Notice of Motion, backed by councillor Brent Goodwin, calling for an immediate pause on all physical and administrative work on the Town Hall project and the Waiata House extension.
It also asked for the council to suspend the tender process and any further procurement, planning, or demolition activities relating to the town hall "until the council has reconsidered its long-term plan priorities and consulted further with the community".
Nelson said he had submitted the Notice of Motion in light of community feedback and concerns around cost, heritage preservation, and strategic priorities; the need for fiscal prudence; and the council's responsibility to ensure all major capital works reflected current and future community needs.
"A pause will enable council to review both projects thoroughly, without incurring further unnecessary costs or binding contractual obligations, and to engage in transparent consultation with the public on next steps," he said in his Notice of Motion.
He told Local Democracy Reporting that the motion would show "who is determined to press on with the project despite the costs and the uncertainty around water infrastructure".
"It will be great if it passes, but I think that it will be tough to get it through.
"I am glad that it's in place before the election so that people will need to take a position either way."
As part of the 2024-34 Long-Term Plan, a majority of Masterton councillors voted to demolish the earthquake-prone town hall and municipal building and build anew on the same site for a cost of no more than $25 million.
They also voted to expand the existing Waiata House to accommodate Civil Defence, customer services, a council chamber, public meeting rooms, and a lab, at an estimated cost of $8.7million.
At the end of May, an independent commissioner granted resource consent for the council to demolish its century-old civic buildings, and a tender for demolition was currently out with the request for proposals closing on 5 August.
A concept plan has been received for the new build, along with planning advice which would need to be reviewed by a quantity surveyor for costing.
In June, it was revealed that the council was exploring alternative options for the Waiata House extension than what was previously approved in the Long Term Plan after initial pricing did not fall within the approved budget.
Councillors would discuss this on Wednesday in public excluded due to it being commercially sensitive information.
- Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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