Memorial Hall Musings

As I get down to the business of being a community board member there is one issue that is causing contention, dissension and debate - the long awaited upgrade of the Cromwell Memorial Hall.  It currently stands as an aging albatross around our necks.  It was built as part of the Sidney Holland Government's policy that money be set aside to build a 2nd World War Memorial in every town and city in New Zealand.  The idea was that the halls would be living memorials that would help to serve communities cultural and recreation needs.  The Memorial Hall has certainly been the focal point of ANZAC services and home to the RSA in Cromwell - but is no longer fit for purpose in providing for Cromwell's cultural and recreation needs.

Cromwell Memorial Hall - current front view

The upgrade has been round and round the Community Board table since the late 1990s and actively on the agenda for about 14 years.  Indecision, concern about use of public funds, more pressing issues and apathy have all contributed to the place we find ourselves in today.  So where are we at and what happens next?

ANZAC Day, Cromwell, 2016

Many will know that there are plans in place that the outgoing Community Board had approved and the project is poised, awaiting final funding confirmation and ready to start (click the link to see the plans) Memorial Hall concept plans.  The election of a new board has put a major spanner in the works.  During the election campaign the budgeted costs of the renovation were brought into the public conscientiousness and the $5.43 million dollar price tag appears to be the sticking point - the contention being that this is too hefty for an aging community hall, that the community don't need or want a hall, there is no real public drive for doing up the hall - basically that this renovation project would be a waste of public money.

The plans for the upgraded facility bring the building in line with building and earthquake regulations and go a lot further.  That is one of the other areas of contention - should the needs of all the user groups be met in the upgrade?  Have these needs blown out the overall costs unnecessarily?  Could we make do with a lick of paint, new loos, new kitchen, rewiring, upgraded heating and some new chairs?

So I suppose we need to think about what the value of the hall is to the community.  What is the purpose of a community hall?  What do we lose if the current facility is left in it's current state or left to deteriorate further? What do we gain if we go back to the drawing board and go back through a design and consultation phase? There has already been nearly $500,000 spent without a hammer being lifted - do we want to spend more on further investigation?

Should we give up entirely and go for demolition and a new build? This has been considered by past community boards as an alternative to renovation - the cost projections for this scenario are considerably higher than the planned upgrade.

School hall in action 

There has been talk bandied around about the costs of school halls being so much less than the projected costs for the Memorial Hall - but I don't think this is comparing apples with apples.  A school hall is used for assembly and the occasional fundraiser or school pantomime/production with limited staging, lighting and sound needs.  The Goldfields hall is a fantastic facility - but is not suitable for major events and professional productions, likewise the current Cromwell Primary project to build a school hall will provide them with a fantastic facility - it will cater for events that a growing primary school is likely to hold and will serve it's community really well.

Are there lessons to be learnt from the double upgrade needed for the Queenstown Memorial Centre?

So, why did the outgoing Community Board decide to forge ahead with this high level of spending? The Board looked at a similar case in Queenstown - a basic upgrade was completed and within a relatively short time frame it was apparent that the lick of paint approach was not going to cut the mustard for the needs of a modern community and a full upgrade of facilities was completed - essentially the upgrade was done twice adding considerably to the overall cost to the rate payer.  Queenstown Memorial Centre (click the link to see the Queenstown Memorial Centre).

Cromwell and Queenstown are obviously very different places with differing community needs and expectations - but, are there lessons to be learnt from the Queenstown experience? Both towns faced with aging facilities that have had minimal money spent on them for at least 50 years.  The Cromwell Community Board has been very prudent with investments overtime and the funds that will be used for the hall will not come from rates.  The money is being raised from land sales and through community funding organisations.  While the money isn't coming directly from rates - it is of course still rate payers money.

I don't know what the outcome of the debate and discussions will be on Tuesday.  I am going in with a very open mind and no set agenda.  I am concerned about what the alternatives to the current plans might be and if they are viable and fit for purpose and I am interested to see what is suggested.