Save Carterton barn, but put it somewhere else, meeting decides

Preserve the barn owned by founding father Charles Rooking Carter, but not in the middle of Carterton.
That was the general opinion of around 50 people who took part in a lively 90 minute discussion at the Carterton RSA last night where a proposal to move the historic building from a farm at Parkvale onto a prime town centre location was thrashed out.
Most wanted to save the 150-year-old building, but just where to put it had to be decided.
The Carterton railway precinct, Sparks Park, Carrington Park, the Clareville Showgrounds and even the former rubbish tip site in Dalefield Road was suggested.
The restoration project and the town centre site was mooted by Ian Renall who explained his vision to the meeting complete with an artists impression of how the restored barn could sit as part of a civic square complex in Holloway Street, neighbouring the district library and council offices.
Mr Renall agreed the project would involve a number of "tricky decisions" especially in regard to conserving the old structure. He could see it being a focal point for Carterton being used for all manner of purposes from an information centre, to a museum, craft display space, extended library activities and even as a small meeting space. Most of all he wanted to see it as a memorial to Charles Rooking Carter.
Mr Renall waved a copy of the will left by Carter which details where some of his possessions were passed. "We could collect them together and honour the man who not only founded the town, but lived and worked here."
Around 15 people took the opportunity to air their views with just one, John Gordon supporting the idea of putting the barn in the town centre. He felt a great leap of faith was needed from the community. "There's a fixed mindset about it, we need to open those minds and see what we can do," he said.
Remaining views favoured an alternative site. Tom Keating suggested taking out specific timber which had historic writing on them, dismantling the barn and re-creating it in a smaller version. Alan Eastergaard liked the idea of moving the barn to a place where other historic buildings could be gathered, creating Carterton's version of Greymouth's shantytown.
Historian and author, David Yerex was all for saving the barn but putting it in an a rural setting closer to town. He felt Carterton, more than any other Wairarapa town had a right to acknowledge its founder because at least he had lived in the district named after him.