Community centre still in limbo over renovation funding

March 16, 2016

Community centre still in limbo over renovation funding

The Meadowbank Community Centre at 29 St Johns Rd is in desperate need of renovations. Photo: Natalia Didovich

Meadowbank Community Centre staff are being forced to turn groups away due to repeated funding delays needed to upgrade and expand their facility.

The centre was promised $2.75 million by Auckland Council in 2012, but is yet to receive the money and now may have to wait a further four years.

Community centre deputy manager Lynn Mosley called the Auckland Council’s decision to postpone funding until 2020 “a joke” and questioned whether the renovations will ever occur.

The proposed renovations are vital for the growth of the facility, which has reached full capacity and is unfit for purpose due to its small outdated rooms.

AUDIO: Meadowbank Community Centre's deputy manager Lynn Mosley talking about the facility's renovations.

“We’re very limited on space . . . and we’re frequently having to turn new groups away because we can’t accommodate them,” Mrs Mosley said.

“So the question is whether we get the facility that this community deserves in 2020, or whether we get some watered down version because that’s all that funding has allowed.”

The centre was originally promised $2.75 million as part of the Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan for 2016/2017, but has since faced numerous setbacks.

Orakei Local Board member Troy Churton said that despite the centre being the local board’s top priority since 2012, wavering council support has stalled the project.

“We had a number of assurances from the governing body,” Mr Churton said.

“It’s disappointing that this significant opportunity has now been prevented from happening due to the way the governing body has restricted our funding.”

Signage outside Community Centre Meadowbank

Mayor Len Brown showed support for the renovations in the past and even took a tour of the centre.

However, at the 2014 budget meeting the mayor joined the majority in voting against Orakei Ward Councillor Cameron Brewer’s proposal to bring forward funding to 2014/2015.

At that time, the funding was pushed even further back to 2020.

Mr Brewer has been a constant supporter of the centre’s redevelopment.

“I’ve raised the matter annually during the yearly budget discussions, and while these attempts have typically lost, last year we had some luck,” said Mr Brewer via email.

In a turn of events, Mr Brewer successfully argued for funding to be brought forward to 2016/2017 at the 2015/2025 Long Term Plan discussions.

This was approved on the provision that the Orakei Local Board would use their “locally driven initiatives fund to pay the consequential operating expenditure”, according to Mr Brewer.

However, this was deemed unachievable by the local board, as the high costs would require significant changes to its funding policy.

“The local board is currently working with staff to explore alternative options for bringing the centre’s redevelopment forward, which would still allow for development in other areas of the ward as well,” Mr Brewer said.

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