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Options for totally refurbishing Ōrewa Library were put before the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board at its workshop on April 11.
Council staff have been considering the upgrade because the 27-year-old building needs a roof replacement, and has leaks, which provided the opportunity for a wider look at whether it could be future proofed to meet the needs of a growing community.
The library is the seventh busiest (in terms of visitor numbers) of Auckland’s 56 libraries and fourth in terms of the number of items checked out.
Council staff told local board members the outdated spaces are no longer fit for purpose and that from June this year, Auckland Council’s customer support services (currently at Ōrewa Service Centre in Centreway Road) will move to the library.
The local board already has just over $1.5m allocated for work on the building and Option 1 for the refurbishment comes in within that figure.
However, staff are more supportive of Option 2, which is expected to cost roughly double (around $3 million) and includes a new mezzanine floor.
The new floor will add around 250sqm to the building, but all within the same footprint as the current library.
Staff say that a budget ‘shuffle’ could accommodate the extra $1.5m cost, without any massive trade-offs of other projects.
In response to a question from member Leanne Willis, the staff member said that Option 2 includes space where the local board could hold its public meetings. Its lease on the Service Centre in Centreway Road expires in July.
It is unclear at this stage where the local board will hold its meetings between July and the end of next year – the proposed timeline for the library refurbishment shows that consenting could be in place by November and that work could take place from March to September next year. A temporary closure and relocation of library services would be needed during that time.
Pictured: Ōrewa Library could get a significant upgrade if the local board can find the money.
