Earthquake strengthening of Richmond’s Town Hall will not affect the activities that operate inside it, says Sport Tasman.
Sport Tasman will continue to operate from the Richmond Town Hall while part of the building undergoes earthquake strengthening in a few months’ time.
Mary-Ann McNatty, who manages the Sport Tasman facility on behalf of the Tasman District council, says that some people wrongly believe the whole building will be closed during the seismic upgrade.
She says Sport Tasman will continue to run its fitness classes and other programmes and the meeting room and hall will continue to be available to the 40 community groups who use it.
“The council and the building contractors are being very accommodating of the community’s everyday needs”, she says.
Sport Tasman supports a range of regular community activities at the hall including Tumble Tots, dancing groups, yoga, housie, fitness classes and social groups. “There will be some disruptions and noise at times, but we have a contingency plan to work around the scheduled repairs,” says Mary-Ann.
Tasman District Council property manager Jim Frater confirmed that the building will remain open during the work, which is set to start about the middle of July once design work is completed and a resource consent granted. The upgrade will take up to six weeks.
“It will be done progressively so it causes the minimum amount of disruption possible, allowing people to stay on site.”
The project, which will cost the council an estimated $83,400, involves strengthening the old war memorial part of the building, which was built in 1922 and served as the Richmond Borough Council chambers for many years. This part of the town hall has an earthquake rating of under 30 per cent, short of the required government safety rating of 34 per cent.
But Jim says that will lift to 67 per cent once the work to reinforce and tie together the walls, ceiling and roof is completed, which will bring it into line with the rest of the town hall which easily meets earthquake standards.
Mary-Ann says steps are being taken to reduce the disruption to those tenants occupying offices in the area to be upgraded. “Some are away overseas while the work is being carried out and another is temporarily moving into a back office with its own entrance.”
Sport Tasman is also taking the opportunity during the upgrade to improve the building’s layout and facilities by converting office space into another multi-purpose meeting room and moving the reception area to a more central position, she says.
