Council quiet as damaged HQ still shut

The Waimate District Council has put a week-long hold on any further comment on the flooding that hit the town on January 3.

The council’s headquarters remain closed after surface flooding entered the building with no confirmed date for a reopening, and yesterday it declined to answer questions related to whether the building had suffered any other damage from the deluge.

In declining to answer the questions, council said ‘‘as the topic will feature as a report (agenda item) to elected members at next week’s (January 26) council meeting, we’re unable to make any further comment to questions related to the local flooding until that meeting has taken place.’’

The Herald had sought answers on whether the council’s headquarters suffered further water damage other than surface flooding, whether the roof leaked in the January 3 deluge and what condition the roof is in after chief executive Stuart Duncan said in 2019 it was ‘‘too heavy and leaks’’.

On Monday, Duncan said: ‘‘It is not yet known when the building will reopen to the public, but council will advise of new details through our standard communication channels’’.

The flooding

‘‘Meetings with staff members must be pre-arranged and agreed to.’’ Stuart Duncan

of January 3 dumped so much water on the town its stormwater infrastructure was unable to cope.

On January 12, Duncan said the offices and library would remain closed until January 18 when the matter would be reviewed. However, they remain closed ‘‘while required maintenance and repairs takes place’’.

’’All of our customer service staff and librarians remain available to the public via phone and email during business hours, and some drop-ins, face to face, have been occurring at the Waimate Event Centre,’’ Duncan said.

‘‘However, from a public perspective, all meetings with staff members must be pre-arranged and agreed to.’’

Duncan said it was still too early to give an estimated cost after skirting boards and contaminated and damaged carpet had been removed from the offices along with affected and damaged furniture.

‘‘The cost will be known at a later date once the full repair of the building and replacement of furniture, fixtures and equipment has been completed.’’