My Account
The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board will this week consider for approval final plans and funding for the comprehensive refurbishment of the Ōrewa Library, a project that could cost ratepayers some $5.4 million – $1.7 million more than Auckland Council originally estimated.
The building in Moana Avenue, almost 30 years old, has been described by staff members as “cramped and crowded”. The need to replace a leaking roof provided an opportunity for a more extensive refurbishment, including the building of a new mezzanine floor and meeting spaces, one of which could be used for local board meetings.
Council last year estimated that the work, including adding the mezzanine floor, would cost around $3.7 million. But local board members were stunned to learn at a workshop last month that with tenders now in, the project will actually cost a little over $5.4 million (HM, March 25, 2024).
Council’s parks and community facilities area operations manager, Sandra May, said the final design and funding allocation for the library would be brought to a local board business meeting on Tuesday for approval.
Council anticipated that the work would start next month and take a year to complete, she said.
During that time, part of the Ōrewa Community Centre will accommodate a temporary public library. The community centre itself recently underwent seismic strengthening and roof repair work, reopening in the first week of April after almost five months of closure.
