Foxton’s War Memorial Hall: Want another go at trying to save it?

Have you say about the future of the Foxton War Memorial Hall.

Foxton residents get another chance at saving their precious War Memorial Hall. Lack of use over the last few years and a looming bill to make it stand up to earthquakes up to a certain standard has prompted the Horowhenua District Council to put it up for sale.

Opposition from some in the community and the threat of legal action has prompted the council to take yet another look and cross all t’s and dot all i’s. Now it has launched another round of consultation, giving locals the chance to save their hall, which has emotional value as a building financed with a lot of community money and effort, and given it is vested into the memories of those locals who died fighting wars in foreign lands.

You have until April 26 this year to respond and come up with ideas to preserve this hall for future generations. Previous attempts have failed and the expected bill for earthquake strengthening is thought to be at least $2m, but could be much more, as this is only an estimate from a few years ago.

The council’s preferred option is to sell it on the open market. Its consultation document describes a number of possible different approaches as to how the sale process could proceed and how proceeds of an open market disposal could be applied.

While selling on the open market may offer the potential for financial returns, the council also recognises the importance of community benefit. This presents an opportunity for an innovative business approach that embraces forward-thinking for the site. During the consultation process, feedback is sought on the desired community amenities to accompany any commercial development.

The council has allocated funding to respectfully relocate the rolls of honour to Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, ensuring the continued recognition of those who served and those who lost their life while serving.

Any proceeds of the sale of the building will be used for the purposes to be identified by the council, but consistent with the original endowment, so are likely to be spend in Foxton or Foxton Beach.

The council concedes that transferring ownership to a community organisation would promote local stewardship, but that is not as simple as it sounds. It requires careful assessment of the organisation’s resources and maintenance capacity. While empowering communities, it also demands support and infrastructure to ensure sustainable management.

The council will thoroughly evaluate before transferring the building to anyone, ensuring the organisation can effectively utilise the land for broader community benefit. It their plan fails at some stage, the situation could be worse, and the ratepayers may once again have to pick up the tab for a building it cannot use.

Retaining ownership of the building and fixing it comes with a hefty price tag and it therefore rejected by the council. Use of the hall declined from 70 times in 2014/15 to less than to in 2018/19 and was less than 20 in the current year. It cost somewhere $30 an hour to hire the main hall, and $65 for the entire building per hour, with a reduction offered for community groups.

The proposal for anyone wanting to safe and restore the hall comes with vital commitments as the hall’s safety and longevity must be safeguarded while preserving its historical integrity. This would demand a substantial investment from ratepayers should the council retain ownership, the council said.

“Preliminary estimates suggest the cost could range from $1.5M to $2.1M depending on the extent of renovations required, although further investigation is required to determine this,” s council statement said.

The current cost estimates only and a few years old. The council’s consultation document has more information as to the potential impact on rates based on these indicative cost estimates. It could add as much as $83 to Foxton and Beach Ratepayer’s bills.