Hub concept strikes chord in Golden Bay

February 27th, 2013
[by David Armstrong]

Vision Motueka's proposal for a community and visitor hub is striking a chord in Golden Bay, where similar issues of best utilisation of public buildings are becoming evident.

In her latest community update to constituents, Golden Bay Ward Councillor Martine Bouillir asks readers to think about a possible "amalgamation" of some of Takaka's existing businesses and [Council] services.

"It makes sense for any future planning for libraries etc in Motueka to be done in tandem with the Vision Motueka group who is working on creating a central hub of activity for the township - rather than ad hoc development which does not look at the whole picture," she says.

"We need to be thinking the same way for Golden Bay, now that our ISite is going to be closed/changed in scope.

"Not on such a grand scale as [Motueka's plan] necessarily, but I think an amalgamation of some of our existing businesses and services (perhaps some of those in buildings about to be classified at 'earthquake risk') should be thought about."

Several buildings in Takaka are being looked at in terms of being earthquake prone or an earthquake risk, and the Council's service centre there, housed in an historic old building, is closed while engineering work is undertaken.

Similar potential problems are emerging in Motueka, with reports before Council saying that several buildings - including Memorial Hall, Lower Moutere Hall and the Motueka Recreation Centre - need detailed engineering investigation to assess whether they need significant work to bring them up to standard, or will get by as they are.

The Motueka museum and library are also considered in need of potentially expensive remedial work. All these current uncertainties about buildings are one factor in Vision Motueka's proposal for Council to take a longer term view of public building development and usage rather than fixing each expensive problem as it arises.

Cr Martine Bouillir points out that in Golden Bay similar problems are apparent.

"There was talk some years ago about an art gallery/info centre/museum concept [for Takaka] but it would be good to throw it out to the wider community and Golden Bay Promotion group to come up with some new ideas," she says.

"Sometimes there just needs to be a massive group brainstorm allowing for all sorts of crazy possibilities before the germ of an idea starts to crystallise. Again, it requires all factions collaborating rather than one group dominating the process."

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