Rangitīkei District Council accepts gifting and vesting of Dudding Lake Community Building

The Dudding Lake Community Building has been on site since 2012 and managed by a private company.

Rangitīkei District Council will take over management and operation of the Dudding Lake Community Building.

At a council meeting on September 25, councillors agreed to accept the gifting and vesting of the building for the future.

The offer was made to the council at an assets and infrastructure meeting in May but councillors decided to leave the offer on the table until a further report was received on the history and condition of the building.

Dudding Lake Reserve was bought as a public recreation facility by the Marton Borough Council in 1965 with cash gifted to the council specifically for that purpose by John Dudding.

Since 2010, the site has been managed by private company Dudding Lake Ltd, who appointed a sub-contractor EB Gordon Ltd to be responsible for the daily management and operation of the reserve.

The community building was sited on the land in 2012, with the council’s approval, and has been owned by EB Gordon Ltd since.

The building provides an extra facility for Dudding Lake Reserve campers and visitors, and is used for social gatherings, meetings and weddings.

Feedback had been received from campers that when the weather was miserable, they had nowhere to go and it would be beneficial to have a place they could meet with other campers to socialise.

EB Gordon Ltd said the building had been refurbished and developed over the years and it wished to gift the building to the district council.

A new roof may be needed in 10 years.

The council presently pays a grant of $17,500 a year for the reserve. It is responsible for paying insurance premiums (the community building included), rates, the cost of all maintenance, capital repair or renewal (excluding for the community building), and the waste disposal system costs (less $1500 a year, which is the responsibility of the manager).

Deputy Mayor Dave Wilson moved the recommendation to accept the proposal.

“It is a well-used part of our district. I think it will continue to be well-used and I think this is the easiest and tidiest way to pick up this asset and continue on for the future use of the site,” Wilson said.

“If you lined up half a dozen people in the street and asked them who owns the buildings and the land at Dudding Lake, I’m sure they’d all say the Rangitīkei District Council. They wouldn’t reference a subcontractor or any other agreement - I think that is why this just tidies it all up.”

Mayor Andy Watson agreed.

“I support the motion. It is a fundamental piece of the infrastructure and it will create confusion in the future if, for instance, the owner decides to remove it or sell it. It is literally a core part of the function of Dudding Lake,” Watson said.

Councillor Fi Dalgety stressed the importance of maintaining the building.

“We don’t want this great asset to have an average building that is falling apart,” she said.

“People from outside our district come and enjoy it.”

The council may determine, in the future, to receive funding to contribute towards managing the costs of accepting the gift of the building. This could be via rates, fees and charges, an annual rental or an agreed percentage of user fees. The council presently receives no income from the Dudding Lake Reserve.