Community House reports another sound year of operation

October 21st, 2010
By David Armstrong

The Motueka Community House in Decks Reserve has completed another successful year as a service facility to many community groups, managing its finances into another small surplus and ensuring continued operation.

At its Annual General Meeting held last night the management committee, made up mainly of representatives of the groups which rent rooms within the building, heard that although there was a small drop in revenue from rents and venue hire, expenses were kept in check.

Furthermore, after a year involving several items of maintenance and upgrades, it is expected that maintenance costs will fall in future.

The Community House, which was once the town's courthouse and was moved to Decks Reserve 20 years ago, last year received a total income of $47,419 from user rents ($14,321), meeting room venue hire ($8,790), grants (totalling $15,305) and other small sources such as photocopier use.

Its main expense is wages for the highly accomplished part-time receptionist and administrator, Gaile Douglas, along with the standard items of maintenance, electricity and other "household" running expenses such as cleaning, insurance and phone. Total expenses this past year were $46,146.

Maintenance items addressed over the year included roof repairs, replacement of the exterior sign, construction of a bicycle stand and installation of smoke alarms.

The committee discussed the use of the new reception computer and the opportunity to provide wireless connection to computers used by renting organisations. To be determined are (a) what the technical equipment costs involve, (b) what would be the uses and benefits relative to the costs, and (c) how security and usage monitoring could be maintained.

The committee also read a letter tabled from Marion Edwin, a local ergonomist, who was commissioned to investigate better use of the Community House facilities. This was in response to committee chairman Ron Sharp voicing concern that more community groups were wishing to use the house than existing room space and allocation allowed. The committee decided to think about what was recommended, seeing it as a long-term strategy project rather than requiring quick (and possibly expensive) action, and to consider a plan of action next meeting.

The Community House provides rented office accommodation for Red Cross, Grey Power, Nelson Bays Community Law, Women's Support Link, Adult Learning Support, Relationship Services, Maori Wardens, Vocational Insight, St Vincent de Paul Society, Motu Weka Neighbourhood Centre, Supporting Families in Mental Illness and Fresh FM Motueka studio. A similar number of groups and organisations are regular users of the meeting room facilities.

For more information about the Community House, read here »

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