Rotorua Museum has been closed since 2016. Photo / Ben Fraser
Rotorua residents may soon have a chance for a say on the future of their historic museum, which has been closed for seven years.
Four options for the iconic Rotorua Museum - Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa will be presented to Rotorua Lakes Council on Wednesday, with a recommendation councillors consult the community before choosing an option to pursue.
According to the meeting agenda, the options were to restore and reopen the museum; to stage the project; postpone it; or to earthquake-proof the building to a lower standard - which would mean it could not be used as a museum.
The museum building is more than 100 years old and carries a Category 1 heritage rating.
It closed in 2016 after sustaining significant structural damage in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kaikoura.
The council agreed in 2018 to put $15.5m towards the strengthening and restoration project, with $38m from external funders for a total funding envelope of $53.5m.
The construction budget needed to complete the project was now estimated to be at least $81.4m, meaning the council would need to find about an extra $28m capital investment if it chose to pursue this.
A report for the meeting, prepared by Manahautū Māori - Te Arawa partnerships deputy chief executive Gina Rangi, said costs could go beyond that given the age of the building and complexity of the project.
Costs to design and install the exhibitions would be extra.
The option to restore and reopen the building as a museum would involve work to strengthen the building, and fit-out of all internal spaces. This could mean opening by early 2026.
The extra cost was proposed to be met through $9m of council funding, obtained through borrowing, and $19m of external funding.
Staging the project would mean it would not be able to re-open until the second stage - the internal fit-out - was complete. The council would need to contribute an extra $500,000 to the cost of stage one which was estimated at $54.0m. There was no indication of what stage two could cost.
Postponing the project would mean remedial work would need to be done to make the building safe to passers-by, to prevent trespassers and to close existing contracts, but the building would not be usable.
It was estimated to cost $10m to stop the project now and no additional funding would be required. There would be an investigation into a new museum and art gallery.
The last option involved investigating an “alternative seismic solution” to strengthen the building to at least 34 per cent of the National Building Standard. The building would comply with the Building Code and would no longer be earthquake prone, but would not be able to re-open as a museum.
The council would look into alternative uses for the building, and for a different location for a new museum or art gallery.
The cost of achieving this was not known.
External funding for the museum restoration has so far been secured from the Provincial Growth Fund ($17m), Rotorua Trust ($10m), Lotteries Grants Board ($6m) and Manatū Taonga Ministry Culture and Heritage ($5m).
The report said all funders had indicated a strong desire for the project to be finished and some indicated they may be able to contribute more if the council picked that option and ups its own contribution too.
There were 713 submissions received during the original community consultation about the museum in 2018. More than 80 per cent expressed a preferred option of wanting the building strengthened, fully restored and reopened.
Consultation needs to be held again, however, the change to the economic environment and the additional council investment required to complete the project means consultation needs to be held again.
If the council agrees to consultation on the options, this would begin on May 17, with the council picking a final option in July.
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