Latest news with #GlenroyAuditorium
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Seismic assessment ongoing: council
Seismic resilience of the Dunedin Centre, including the Municipal Chambers, is not well understood, the city council says. However, work continues on a detailed assessment, and options regarding seismic strengthening are expected to be put in front of councillors early next year. Substantial restoration is also required of the exterior facade and work on this is expected to be carried out until at least 2028. The Dunedin Centre in the Octagon is made up of the Municipal Chambers, Town Hall and Glenroy Auditorium, built between 1880 and 1930. Some ornamental Oamaru stone fell from the chambers building in 2020, leading to precautionary measures being taken around it and the Town Hall, as both were due for remedial work. Detailed investigations began the following year and in 2022 Dunedin City Council meetings were shifted out of the Municipal Chambers and have yet to return there. The council did not include funding for strengthening the buildings when it adopted its 2025-34 long-term plan last month, but $14million was allocated for heritage exterior restoration, seismic investigation and some other work. An update about the programme is set to be discussed by the council this week. A report for councillors said the centre's interior had been modified over the years and some structural work had been carried out. The centre's seismic resilience was "not well understood" and some interior fixtures and mechanical systems were "either in poor condition or approaching the end of their serviceable life". "Over time, parts of the exterior facade have been renewed. However, the exterior is now at a stage where a more wholesale restoration is required." Scaffold gantries were put up after the October 2020 incident to prevent harm to pedestrians by catching any more material that might fall. The council said there had since been "further occasions where stone, slate and cast-iron balustrades have fallen from the building". Seismic investigation and exterior restoration were regarded as separate, but connected, projects. Engineering consultants WSP was engaged this year to develop a detailed seismic assessment of the property. It is expected to be completed and reviewed by the end of this year and council staff said they intended to produce a report for councillors about options for strengthening, including potential costs, early next year. Regarding the exterior, the council said a sealant was historically applied to the Oamaru stone surface. "While this approach was a common practice for the time, the types of sealants used did not allow the stone to breathe." Moisture could be trapped under the sealed layer, dissolving the stone over time.
Otago Daily Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Chris Parkers' Dunedin drama
As comedian Chris Parker hits the road with his latest show Stop Being So Dramatic , arriving at Glenroy Auditorium on Saturday, July 12, The Star reporter Sam Henderson asked the self-proclaimed "People's Princess" of Aotearoa how he would respond in dramatic fashion to participating in iconic Dunedin activities. Your latest show Stop Being So Dramatic sounds like it embraces the dramatic, over the top, cringe behaviour that people in the rainbow community can often be asked to "tone down''. If you were to arrive in Dunedin and participate in these activities, describe how you would buck that trend and "stand out'' in fabulous fashion. The St Clair Polar Plunge. Every June winter about 300 hardy locals run screaming into the surf, plunging into water that can be about 9°C. Chris Parker: Swimming in St Clair's icy waters in the peak of summer can still be too cold for me. The only waters you will catch me in is the wave pool at Moana Pool ... does that pool still have a wave pool? Or is that a memory I have made up from my time in Dunedin. Post-party cleanup on Castle St Cleaning up after a post-party student bash that might leave scorched couches and the odd accidental house fire in its wake. CP: Is this an actual event? Cleaning! Well my solution here would be to reuse, reduce and recycle the waste and turn all those burnt couches into some kind of gigantic sculpture. Dunedin loves a bit of public art, how about adding a new one to the city ... one that is a total fire risk. Water-runner for the Highlanders The forwards need hydration mid-scrum. Walk us through your most theatrical sprint on to the turf, the pep you would shout at a 120kg prop CP: I would like to swap my role for the man who gets lifted up by his shorts like a ballerina to catch the ball in a "lineout". I believe I have the beauty, grace and poise for that role ... sorry, position. Speed Sheep Shearing contest at the Taieri A&P Show The farmer hands you the clippers. How would you style your shearing outfit, what flourishes would you add to 'zhush' up the sheep's cut. CP: I think rather than shaving down the sheep and giving it a number one, buzz cut, I would opt for a more subtle cut and colour. Maybe some summery highlights. The mullet has come back into style, so short up the front, and long down the back with all the dags. In terms of my farmer outfit, I would make zero changes, I have always thought I would look good in a swannie and hot pants. Midnight ghost tour at Larnach Castle You are led through the darkened ballroom and a sudden gust slams the door behind you. What choice words would you deliver to southern ghosts. CP: I would invite the ghost to see my show at the Glenroy Auditorium on Saturday, July 12. It can even join and befriend all the ghosts in that theatre. I swear backstage is haunted!
