The fate and future of the hall has been in almost endless discussion over recent years, but matters look like coming to a head.
The RRA committee look close to making some decisions, and they are asking for feedback with a very tight timeline. I thought I’d help out by canvassing the community about what they want from public facilities, and encourage a bit of discussion.
We are told that saving the existing hall, library, and gallery / art space is not a feasible option, so now is a critical point to have your say.
In the past few years, here’s what the facilities have been used for:
*Wedding Venue
*Parties & Celebrations
*Library
*Art Exhibitions
*Studio space for artists
*Venue for visiting musicians
*Hang out area for the kids and other table tennis fanatics
*Community meetings
*Theatrical plays
*Shelter from the storm whilst waiting for the ferry
*Storage for crappy old furniture
It has been suggested that, due to budget constrictions, a new building could not have the same footprint, and that a dedicated library and art space would not be possible.
There are an increasing number of people visiting the island, so any talk of a smaller venue is foolish. We need to plan for the future, not ten years ago.
The council seems to be prepared to cough up around $300,000.
It must be noted that a show of hands at the RRA meeting showed strong support for the construction of a new building, because it was presented as a fait accompli.
Currently, the hall has a usable space of around 50 square meters, which is marginal as far as a functioning venue is concerned. The current proposal by the RRA committee involves demolishing the existing hall and replacing it with a turning circle for SUVs. The new building would replace the existing loos which is an additional zero meters above sea level compared to its current location.
Here’s an online survey for you to have your say. Log in and check the boxes for what you’d like to see from new community facilities, also please comment on this. I must stress this survey is not on behalf of the RRA, it’s informal but hopefully useful. The results will be passed onto the RRA committee. You have 3 weeks, so get amongst it! You’ll need to log in to vote.
I would encourage you to have a read through this first.. https://www.rakino.org.nz/2021/02/15/rakino-hall-future-options/