Building boom carries on

MASTERTON is in the grip of a building boom with millions of dollars of residential and commercial building under way or planned.
The impact of the boom, that has seen building consents issued by Masterton District Council go through the roof to reach all-time record levels, has been a huge injection of money into the local economy.
On the downside it has created a critical shortage of jobbing carpenters and other tradesmen available for the day-to-day smaller jobs in town.
The value of resource consents last financial year was a record $50,936,964 and this looks likely to be bettered in the current year as for the first five months consent applications totalling $26,990,844 have already ben approved.
One of the biggest jobs on the drawing board is a virtual complete makeover of Masterton Primary School which came into existence as a result of the merger of Harley Street School and Central School.
The Ministry of Education has approved $2.7 million in funding for rebuilding the school and architects are busy with concept plans to take to the board of trustees in January.
Masterton Primary School principal Fiona Marrett said the school had been negotiating with the ministry all year to get the money needed to provide a "pleasant, modern environment" for the school's 400 or so pupils.
The school was granted $570,000 earlier this year to build four new classrooms but chose instead to move four on to its South Road site from Harley Street School.
These have now all been renovated and will remain in use but the rest of the school, apart from the hall, will be rebuilt.
This will mean building 11 new classrooms, a library and information centre, special needs rooms and a new administration block, including a staffroom.
Mrs Marrett said the board is expected to settle on plans in time for work to start in the early part of next year and the school should be rebuilt by Christmas 2005.
She said much of the credit for the school project getting off the ground was due to the work put in on the school's behalf by Masterton Mayor Bob Francis.
Also given the green light to go ahead is an industrial development at Solway that could see up to 20 businesses located on land that fronts Ngaumutawa Road, between the SPCA and Pa Whakairo and runs back behind them.
This is a 5.4ha block owned by Solway Properties Ltd, which has subdivided the land into 20 lots, ranging from 1000sqm to 5500sqm.
The principals of the company are Masterton builder and developer David Borman and Rodney Miller.
Mr Borman said the new industrial park has not yet been named.
He said six lots "already have names on them", with some being existing businesses wanting to relocate to a better spot, and others being totally new businesses.
Other major projects are the rebuilding of Masterton Hospital, expected to cost around $30 million, and a new police station for Masterton.