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Earthworks are about to begin on the Silverdale site where the Hibiscus Coast Men’s Shed will be built.
The Men’s Shed has a piece of land near the Silverdale Rugby Club, of around 500sqm, which the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board has allocated for the 450sqm shed.
The organisation has been working towards establishing a purpose-built facility on the Hibiscus Coast since 2015 and is currently operating from the Council-owned building at 1 Brightside Road in Stanmore Bay.
Hibiscus Men’s Shed chair Maurice Browning says survey pegs were put in on its Silverdale site on July 4 and this gives the organisation until July 4, 2021 to complete its build.
He says they have found a contractor to do the earthworks, foundations and drainage, which he hopes will begin next month, once the former bowling club building nearby has been demolished by Auckland Council.
Maurice says recently it was decided that the building of the shed itself will be a staged process, due to problems obtaining sufficient funding.
The first building to go up will cost around $400,000 and include the portion that can be let out to other community groups as well as part to be used by the Men’s Shed members.
This will be joined on at a later stage by a second half, costed at around $300,000, which will extend the Men’s Shed space.
Members will do the interior fit out themselves.
Men’s Sheds operate around the country. They consist of not-for-profit community workshops where, for a small fee, members can drop in for a chat and to work on practical tasks. As well as the satisfaction of the work itself, a large part of the Men’s Shed’s popularity and success comes from the opportunity to talk with others, bringing recognised mental health benefits.
