Dannevirke Community Board backs council over Carnegie Building

A decision on the fate of Dannevirke's Carnegie Building will be made at the end of the month by Tararua District Council. Photo / File

The Dannevirke Community Board has backed Tararua District Council's intention to demolish the Carnegie Building if there is no community interest in taking over the building.

A report from strategy and district development manager Peter Wimsett was presented to the board and laid out the options of retaining and strengthening, selling or gifting or demolishing.

Governance manager Richard Taylor, in outlining the options, said this was not a formal consultation process, rather the council was looking at earthquake prone buildings over which decisions needed to be made around their future.

The report sets out the issues the council had to consider in making the recommendation that favoured demolishing the building, based on the estimated $1 million cost to strengthen and renovate it in accordance with the Building Act 2004, and to build pensioner flats on the site.

"The first priority was to find a new home for Youth Services, but this has been found so that has been ticked off."

Taylor said the council was mindful of the $1 million cost to strengthen and renovate the building.

"There is the possibility of some part assistance for part of the work but that would still leave a significant amount for ratepayers to raise to bring the building up to a standard that it would be suitable for tenanting."

The issue of community groups taking ownership was raised, but Taylor said the council has never received a concrete proposal from any group to take the matter forward.

"The council is looking for community views on what the site could be used for and wants feedback on what the community would like to see there."

As chairman of community Youth Services, community board member Terry Hynes said a considerable amount of work was undertaken to find a way for Youth Services to remain in the building. In 2012 it had been offered to a charitable trust at a peppercorn rent but the offer wasn't taken up.

He said funding discussions were held with Internal Affairs but it wanted a feasibility study carried out at a cost of more than $20,000.

"We would have liked to have more than one organisation using the building but at the end of the day we couldn't see the wood for the trees and we had to pull the plug on the idea of Youth Services remaining there."

Hynes said his view was that he would favour another group investing in the building and failing that it should come down.

"If funding can be found I believe the building should be saved. I would say that it would have to be a brave person who took it on. They would need to have all their ducks in a row if it can be salvaged. But they would have to be sure of the future and of the funding."

He felt that more time should be given for groups to seek funding, but Taylor said, with respect, there had been discussions about the building for five years.

Board chairman Ross Macdonald said the recommendation was released a month ago but nothing was heard from any interested parties.

Taylor said he had heard a petition had been started but he had heard nothing official about it.

In conclusion Macdonald said the board would have agree with the council's recommendation.

"But if there is a proposal there needs to be sufficient time for that to be presented, but it needs to be done pretty smartly otherwise we will have to align with the council's recommendation."
The board agreed to support the council's intention to demolish the building unless a robust proposal came forward.

Taylor said this would need to be received immediately as the council was due to make its final decision at its next meeting on May 29.