CAB may be evicted if sale goes ahead
An organisation that provides
10,000 hours of volunteer service per year to Hamilton might be kicked out of its premises.
The Citizens Advice Bureau could face eviction if Hamilton mayor Andrew King’s proposal to sell St Peter’s Hall and Reid’s Studio gets the tick of approval.
The building could cash in up to
$740,000 for council; however, even they considered it a ‘‘reputation risk’’ in doing so. In King’s draft
10-Year-Plan, he acknowledged council could face a potential reputation risk in retreating from providing a community space.
They also feared a loss of level of service if tenants were moved out, a feeling shared by the volunteers at CAB.
Jeanette Holborow said their location at Reid’s Studio on Victoria St was in the ‘‘community end of town,’’ where there was easy access by bus, car or foot.
‘‘Clients feel comfortable bringing their problems and questions to a stand-alone, peaceful, homely place to get help,’’ she said.
‘‘If they moved us to a place like – there’s mutterings of the library – we see 10,000-plus people a year, and you need privacy. It wouldn’t work,’’ Liz Jorston added.
The volunteers have also heard whispers about moving into the i-Site.
‘‘We’ve already been down that path and Garden Place is not an option,’’ Liz Appleton said.
‘‘This is very different to a corporate building. People come here and see solace, they see humility. The mere nature of the building lends itself to what we’re doing.’’
CAB Hamilton has 60 volunteers and provides free legal clinics twice a week, runs workshops for new migrants, and offers advice and information to help resolve issues.
The Old St Peter’s Hall was built in 1893 and, along with the adjoining Citizens’ Advice Bureau building, was purchased by the council from the Cathedral Church of St Peter in 1990.
CAB shares the site with Drury Lane Dance School, which occupies the hall. The buildings are Category 2 heritage buildings with Heritage New Zealand.
‘‘We understand that many councillors look at the land these buildings stand on and think it is prime real estate, but really only if they were pulled down,’’ Holborow said. ‘‘We acknowledge that the council owns the building and they have been very good to us and they give us a peppercorn rental, but this is the best position that we’ve had in town. It’s location, location, location.’’
Since the draft budget has been released, King has not visited the site.
"Clients feel comfortable bringing their problems and questions to a standalone, peaceful, homely place to get help."
Jeanette Holborow