It’s time for an update on the earthquake strengthening project.
There has been significant progress over the past few months, especially on the design and technical side. And while a lot of effort has been put in to drive the funding, the return here is less exciting.
At the AGM, the ‘40%’ strengthening option was the favoured one by our members. We also left the ‘67%’ option on the table should something come up that made this more viable, however this was not the case. Accordingly, all of our effort has been focussed on the 40% option, which involves:
- A steel portal in the Wardroom;
- Plywood bracing on various walls throughout the bottom floor;
- Removal of Dux Quest plumbing from the bathroom areas;
- Extensive reinstatement.
The demolition required by the plywood bracing and Dux Quest removal work will effectively require the bathrooms to be rebuilt.
We have now completed the architectural and engineering work for the 40% option, and the building consent application is due to be submitted this week. Resource consent is not required. With the final design being available, we also were able to more accurately cost the project. The information is available on request from our office.
At this stage, the project is not yet fully funded. While we are fortunate to have reserves which will help to fund some of the work, we still are looking to secure external funding.
We have met a with a number of funding agencies, including the Lotteries Commission and the Wellington City Council and have applied to the Pelorus Trust. A consistent message from funders is that we are more likely to be successful if we have any necessary building consents in place or at least submitted. This step will be taken this week.
The gap in funding has postponed the project, which initially was planned to be completed over winter this year. This seems unlikely now, and the new target is winter 2020. The decision about the deferral will be made in the next weeks.
We want to say thanks to the steering committee managing this project on behalf of the Board: Jason Reid (Club Manager), Phil Gaunt, Andrew Dinsdale, and Hamish Lobb; putting in countless hours to drive this project. We’d also like to thank club members Mark Ansell (Architect) and Paul Brimer (Engineer) who have helped us with the design and engineering aspects of the project.
If you have any questions please get in touch with the office or a member of the steering committee. We will keep you posted.
