Quake concerns for Edgar Centre

DUNEDIN’S Edgar Centre needs a multimilliondollar upgrade after being found to be ‘‘significantly’’ earthquakeprone, the Dunedin City Council says.

However, the councilowned building used by 650,000 people a year will stay open until the work can be done, which is expected to be more than a year.

Council infrastructure and networks acting general manager Leanne Mash yesterday confirmed a seismic assessment had given the building a rating of just 10%15% of new building standard (NBS).

That included the building’s entrance and reception area, built in 1996, the MoreFM Arena, added in 2003, and the playing courts in the original 1978 woolstore building, she said.

The entire complex was also subject to varying degrees of subsidence, having been built on reclaimed land, she said.

Despite that, Ms Mash told the Otago Daily Times the complex remained safe to use until the strengthening work could be carried out in 201920.

An immediate closure of the complex would be ‘‘an overreaction’’, she said.

‘‘I don’t believe people should be worried about going into the building.

‘‘It’s just like hundreds of other buildings around New Zealand that now need to meet these earthquake standards.

‘‘The risk is no greater now than it was 12 months ago.’’

The council would spend the next year refining the design for repairs, discussing the plan with user groups and seeking a contractor to retrofit structural steel to the building’s walls and ceiling.

The cost was expected to reach into the millions of dollars.

‘‘It’s substantial, as you would expect for a building of that size,’’ she said.

The building’s issues began to emerge in July 2016, when an initial investigation identified the need for ‘‘urgent’’ work to fix a ‘‘severe structural weakness’’ in the reception area.

More detailed assessments had since been carried out, including a separate geotechnical report which revealed the subsidence problem, Ms Mash said.

The subsidence had caused problems with the MoreFM Arena’s retractable seating, and was expected to continue, but there was no immediate need for a fix, she said.

Details of the Edgar Centre’s condition came a month after the Southland Museum and Art Gallery became the third building in Invercargill to be closed because of seismic risks, having been found to be less than 34% of NBS.

In Dunedin, considered a lowrisk seismic zone, legislation in force since mid2017 gave building owners 15 years to complete assessments and 35 years to rectify concerns.

Edgar Centre general manager Blair Crawford said he was ‘‘comfortable’’ with the council’s decision not to close the complex, but hoped disruption for sports groups could be minimised.

‘‘The information we’ve been given is there is no danger or anything. I’m comfortable with the information from them, that there’s nothing to be too concerned with.’’

Football South chief executive Chris Wright was not aware of the seismic findings when contacted late yesterday, but said it was ‘‘obviously important that the strengthening work is done’’.

‘‘The safety of sports enthusiasts and their families are the most important thing.’’