Centre closed for another five months

Rotten roof timbers, break-ins and burglaries have combined to push back the reopening of Mahurangi East Community Centre and Library to early next year – double the length of time its $1.7 million refurbishment was scheduled to take.

The 40-year-old hall and library complex closed in mid-April for five months, temporarily displacing 60 clubs and groups that use the hall and forcing the library into a portable building in the tennis club carpark next door.

Both facilities were due to reopen by the end of September, but in an update last week, Auckland Council staff said that wouldn’t now happen until January or February next year.

Rodney’s area manager for parks and community facilities, Geoff Pitman, said wet and decaying timber was discovered when the building’s vast tin roof was first removed, meaning designs and consents had to be changed, causing delays.

These issues were then compounded by recent break-ins and theft from both the worksite and temporary library building.

Thousands of dollars’ worth of roofing and construction materials, tools and tech equipment were stolen during the week beginning September 16, though swift action by Warkworth Police resulted in an arrest and the return of many of the items later that week, according to Senior Constable Hamish Buick.

“Warkworth Police executed a search warrant on Wednesday, September 18, and recovered some of the stolen property, including building fixtures, skylights, roofing insulation, building paper, screws, fixings and first aid kits,” he said.

A 32-year-old Snells Beach man had been arrested and charged with burglary and receiving stolen goods, he added.

“It’s bad that the building site was accessed and many thousands of dollars’ worth of stuff stolen, but good that we managed to get on to it and recover a substantial amount,” Buick said. “We’re really pleased – not that it happened, but that we managed to catch the person.”

The break-in at the temporary library led to it being closed to customers for two days, which manager Pip Stocking says was an added frustration to existing delays.

“It’s been a long, drawn-out process,” she said. “While we’ve been working hard to implement security and safety measures, it’s disheartening to see them disregarded, causing strain not only on the project, but also on those working to complete it.

“We know that with construction there are always delays – we expected there would have to be some leeway – but it is frustrating.”

However, she remains optimistic that the long wait will be worth it in the end.

“It will be great when it’s done, great for the community and for staff,” she said. “There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Pitman said the discovery of decay and moisture issues when the roof was removed had led to significant unforeseen changes to the project, and it was unknown at this stage what impact the subsequent delays would have on the $1.7 million budget.

“During the deconstruction process, problems with the building were discovered, which led to redesign and building consent amendments. This has added to the amount of work required and pushed out the programme timeframe,” he said.

“Work is ongoing on an updated set of construction plans, with considerable alterations being undertaken on the roof structure and a number of internal structural elements. We estimate that works will be completed in the early part of 2025.

“We are still working out the impact of these changes on the budget.”