2 July 2021
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre project update
Enquiry
The reporter requested the following clarifications after receiving the news release re SHMPAC (see HERE):
- understand the council contribution was previously $11.5m - is that right? And now it's $22.6m.
- There's a couple more external funders (Four Winds and Pub Charity) on that document you've sent than this update from 2019 https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-council/news/news?item=id:2e4va619r1cxbyrgei7s - is that extra external funding that's been found since then? About $100k?
- What was the contingency sum before June? And can you advise what it is now?
- Re the ongoing employment once the project is complete - how many FTEs is that expected to be?
If you could get back to me with these by 2.30pm that would be very helpful.
Just a heads up too - I'll be going to get some reaction from the community after the embargo lifts so there's a possibility there'll be critical comments we'll give the council an opportunity to reply to this afternoon.
Comments subsequently provided for right of reply:
Reynold Macpherson:
"It is a project that is based on the need to redevelop the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre."
He said Rotorua Resident and Ratepayers would have preferred the building had been restored rather than redeveloped, to "respect the original architecture of the place".
He said if it had been a restoration "this blow out would have been much less likely".
"The discovered costs [due to cracking etc] are understandable and will have to be met, but the redevelopment was a major blunder."
Response
From Jocelyn Mikaere, DCE Community Wellbeing:
- Correct
- Correct
- This is still commercially sensitive
- There are currently 3 staff in the SHMPAC team and there will be more jobs created as a result of this project, both full-time and casual, but the staffing structure including the number of staff is yet to be finalised.
Mayor Chadwick provided the following comment:
This is what you find when you get into these legacy projects and this is one we all love and want to see done.
We have discovered a state worse than we were aware of and this would have been discovered and required substantial additional funding whether we were just restoring or remodelling.
It is good to know it has been uncovered and we can be assured of public safety once it is finished