Council Approves One-Stage Approach to War Memorial Hall Renewals

After years of public demand, Whakatāne District Council has approved a one-stage approach for renewal of the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall that is expected to save as much as $2 million more than the original two-stage proposal.

District Council project manager of open spaces Kevin Hogg, said the savings are due to several reasons.

"About 70% to 80% of those savings are construction related," he said.

"You're talking about the contractor not having to come back to the site a second time. That's a big cost when you're talking about works of this value."

The estimated overall cost of the renewal is $22.8 million.

The renewal will include increasing seismic strengthening to 60% even though the building already exceeds the minimum requirement of 34%.

Hogg said because the renewal has a high price point, adding strengthening was a good move to protect the investment.

"Legally there is no obligation to strengthen the work, it is already above the earthquake prone building threshold but given the significant level of investment, we consider it prudent asset management but also it improves life safety outcomes," he said.

Because the approved project combines what was originally a two-phase approach, it will allow the community groups that use the hall to vacate the building only once, rather than having to move out for each phase of construction.

The total time required for the renewal is estimated at 10 to 12 months with a construction start no earlier than next May.

Council formally prioritised the hall renewal in the 2024–2034 Long Term Plan after receiving nearly 1,000 public submissions.