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Warkworth Town Hall Restoration Trust (WTHRT) plans to take over the management of the Warkworth Town Hall from Auckland Council.
The trust will apply to Council to make the change, and hopes it will come into effect by July 1.
Trustees Peter Henderson and Richard Hutchinson say the move fits with Council policy, which seeks to encourage local communities to manage local halls.
They add that it makes a lot of sense as people more easily relate to someone local rather than having to ring an 0800 number when making enquiries.
Richard says among the improvements trustees would like to see is improved access to the hall after hours.
Currently, the door is opened remotely by a Council employee for groups using the hall, but this can be problematic if a group member needs to get in early to set things up.
Trustees will investigate a more user-friendly system.
Peter says now that restoration work is complete, the trust needs to switch its focus to ensuring more people get to use and benefit from the hall.
“It’s about focusing on what happens inside the building, rather than the building itself,” he says.
To do this, the trust is looking for additional trustees to assist with management of the facility.
Peter says this could be an enthusiastic person who has experience working with community groups or has promotional flair. It could be someone who has lived in the area a long time, or is new and would like to find a niche for their talents.
The trustees anticipate Auckland Council would continue to fund Town Hall facility coordinator Alex Hayward, seeing her role as essential in promoting public use of the hall.
Anyone interested in becoming a trustee should phone Peter Henderson on 0274 776 519.
