Nelson’s city library woes set to continue

The Nelson City Council again picked up the issue of the partially closed city library yesterday, with mayor Rachel Reese venting her frustration and repeating pointed questions to chief executive Pat Dougherty during the reconvened full council meeting.

Reese said the library was the council’s most used public facility, and she couldn’t reconcile how the Elma Turner ‘‘did not get priority attention’’ in terms of health and safety, ‘‘given that you had a structure that had a known risk’’.

’’I’m quite dismayed as to how we’ve got here.’’

Dougherty said that the first time he thought the issue with the tiles was raised – ‘‘that we have discovered so far’’ – was 2018, when it was reported that some ceiling tiles were loose and needed refixing.

He then contradicted himself by saying: ‘‘The first time I can remember them coming up was around about June 2020: we talked about the weight, that some of the tiles were heavy and the seismic bracing needed addressing’’.

However, ‘‘the message was that there were no immediate health and safety risks identified’’, he said.

‘‘It was only when the seriousness of the issue with the ceiling tiles in Civic House was identified in May 2022 that we suspected we would have the same issue with the library.’’

To put it into context, he said, the ceiling tiles had been in the building for over 25 years, the risk hadn’t changed, and the tile grid and structure had withstood several major earthquakes during that time.

‘‘When we talk about risk, it’s a combination of the consequence of something happening and the probability of something happening.’’

However, the council took a ‘‘conservative approach to the closure’’, Dougherty said.

Councillor Mel Courtney asked if moving the library to the former Warehouse Stationery building in Bridge St had been considered.

Dougherty said the council was getting the Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA) done for the tiles, and also redoing the one for the structure itself.

‘‘The last one was 2013, which put the library at 42% [of New Build Standard]. We know the guidelines have changed since then,’’ he said.

‘‘We think if that DSA for the structure is still above 34%, our preferred option would be to get on and fix the ceiling tiles. It’s capital work, and we can do it relatively quickly. If that DSA is below 34%, then I think that we then do need to look at leasing options.’’

According to the report, the building’s structural DSA will be finished in October. Funds for seismic strengthening would then be requested in December from the incoming council. Building consent processing time is estimated to take four weeks, design and engineering six weeks, time to source supplies and schedule three weeks, and construction up to 15 weeks.

Council received the report, adding additional requests that officers review events leading up to the closure of the library and report ‘‘with urgency’’ the full options and analysis on the Elma Turner Library and library service delivery.