Improvement needed
It was with some amusement we read of the SWDC vision to be “the Best little Council in NZ”. We think they have a long way to go… Perhaps the importance they place on a “perception of excellence displayed through the Councils communication formats” (their logo) might be better placed actually improving communications and delivering an excellence of service.
We have had dealings with several much larger Councils than SWDC and these have always been positive so when we moved to Martinborough and began our project to relocate a house we imagined a much more efficient and streamlined service from the Council than we actually received.
We were surprised and frustrated to find such a small office could fail to communicate both internally and with us, lose papers, issue incorrect papers and be unable to provide us with important advice and information – and all of this a service we paid thousands of dollars for.
And to top it off, we are expected to pay for it when Council made a mistake which costs us money. What a joke – can you imagine any business surviving if it was run like this?
People like us moving into the area bring tens of thousands of dollars to the community in fees, work for local trades and visitors, yet here’s a Council that made us wonder if it was worth it at times.
However, many thanks are due to the great local residents and trades people (many with similar stories of Council frustrations) who enabled us to complete our project and have given us a warm welcome and loads of advice. Thank you all!
Ian and Karen Sutcliffe
Town Hall
The mood of the 120 or so people in the Martinborough Town Hall on 24 November was clear: keep the building, make it earthquake-safe, improve it and use it. It was a public meeting called by the District Council, to consider the options for the future of the Hall. The meeting was chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive Dr Jack Dowds.
The Mayor made a welcoming address which was followed by consulting engineer Michelle Grant of Eastern Consulting’s full presentation of the seismic status of the Hall. As an earthquake prone building, it must be stabilised and strengthened, to comply with the latest building code. This must be done by 2021.
Then came helpful explanations from architects Dave Kernohan and Dave Lowe. They assured the meeting that a new or partly new building could be built but they held the century-old heritage hall in high regard and seemed certain that strengthening and improving it was a desirable course to follow.
Strengthening has been estimated at $0.85m. If $0.5m is added for other costs and “making good” the price for keeping the 99 year old building has been put at $1.35m, substantially less than alternatives. To make the Hall superior as well as up to standard might require a total of $2m.
If the Council can handle the strengthening $0.85m, I suggest that a charitable trust might be formed to raise the rest. That’s what Carterton have so successfully done for their $6m complex. While further consultation with the public is desirable, I feel that the mood of the meeting was strong enough for a start to be made right away.
Our Committee will meet to discuss this and make recommendations to the Community Board/District Council as soon as possible.
Ian Cresswell
Chairman
Martinborough Town Hall Committee.
