Waipukurau Library announcement expected this month

More information about the future of the Waipukurau Library is expected as part of a "significant announcement" the council expects to make in December. Photo / Rachel Wise

By Shannon Johnstone

Central Hawke's Bay District Council expects to be making "a significant announcement" on a longer-term temporary library in December, more than six months after the Waipukurau library closure.

The Waipukurau library in Kitchener St was closed suddenly in May after engineers deemed the building to have "structural vulnerabilities".

Central Hawke's Bay Council chief executive Monique Davidson said council made the decision after receiving advice from engineers that the building has structural vulnerabilities putting it at risk in the event of a "significant earthquake".

The closure was despite renovation work in 2016, which included the expectation that the building was earthquake strengthened.

The council indicated it awaited a further detailed seismic assessment report.

Now, more than six months later, the council says it expects to make "a significant announcement" in December.

The announcement will be on providing a longer-term temporary library for Waipukurau and will also provide further information relating to the closure of the library on Kitchener Street.

"We recognise the importance of a library to a communities social and economic well-being," a council spokesperson said.

While the library has been shut, council has provided a pop-up service centre in the Waipukurau Railway Station for AA services and the council's service centre.

Online services and opening hours at Waipawa Library were also extended and a number of home drop off services have been provided with community support.