Yacht club needs $500k to fix earthquake issues
New Zealand’s oldest yacht club needs to raise $500,000 by July to fix earthquake issues in the building.
About two years ago, the Nelson Yacht Club commissioned an assessment that discovered the building was likely to be rated at less than 34% of the national building standard (NBS). This would make it earthquake-prone.
Rather than waiting for a detailed assessment, the club decided to push on with repairs, club manager Tim Fraser-Harris said.
“The deficiencies are quite clear.” The work to strengthen the building would mainly involve bracing to strengthen each of the levels, including the storage area and the Aurora Lounge. This would bring the building up to 67% of the NBS.
The site’s Nahm eatery would not be affected by the works.
The total bill for the project would be about $565,000, of which $65,000 had already been spent, and the club was now looking at ways to fund the rest of the bill, Fraser-Harris said.
This included setting up a Givealittle page, adding a donation option on its own website, and looking at options for families and businesses to buy a plaque acknowledging their contribution.
The club was also applying for various grants.
Fraser-Harris said he knew it was a tough time to be fundraising, but the club was an integral part of the Nelson community and he hoped people would be able to pitch in.
As well as the yacht club, many community groups used the Aurora Lounge, and it was a popular wedding venue, he said.
“I think all people who have either got married or celebrated a friend’s wedding in the venue here or who’ve come through a sailing programme, or who’ve said goodbye to loved ones here, think of this as a space that we as a community need to save and ensure it’s here for the next generation.”
After a tender process, the club had selected a contractor for work to begin in
July, with the aim of getting it done before the next summer sailing season, he said.
If that date had to be pushed out, costs would go up significantly, which would make the project even harder to achieve.
“This is our window of opportunity to save this community facility and ensure the sustainability of all the awesome activity it supports.”
If the cash could not be raised in time, the club might look at splitting the project into two stages, Fraser-Harris said.
If the club was unable to fund the project in the longer term, the building’s future use would need to be reassessed, he said.
“In a worst-case scenario, it will likely cost more to demolish and remove than it is costing to strengthen.”