Council seeks legal advice on Foxton War Memorial
Council defers sale of the hall pending the new advice
Council has deferred a decision on Foxton War Memorial again to seek legal advice on new material received. A late flurry of documentation on the background to the original funding and reasons for the Foxton War Memorial Hall handed into council has led to the decision to defer the sale of the building until the new year.
Council was set to deal with a report, and make a decision on the sale, on December 13, but on December 12 the Foxton War Memorial Hall Society handed in material it believes may prevent the sale of the building, giving the council little time to look into this.
Council CEO Monique Davidson said the council then decided to take legal advice and make sure the lawyers doublecheck everything and ensure there is no additional info around that could impact the decision to sell.
She said given the fact that some in the society have said they will seek a judicial review of any council decision, it was prudent to stop and seek legal advice on the information received and cross all t’s and dot all i’s before the final decision was made.
“We all want a bright future for Foxton but the council cannot afford to maintain the building nor earthquake-strengthen it and its usage has been dropping steadily. We had to charge certain fees for the use of the hall to make it financially viable or the ratepayers will have to make up the difference.”
Deputy Mayor David Allan said he understands that for some people in Foxton the building still has great significance, but he has not had anyone protest to him about the planned sale.
“Only one person came to me seeking more information about the background to better understand what is going on. There have been no protests, apart from two signs on Ladies Mile.”
Kere Kere ward councillor Ross Brannigan agrees.
“There have been no protest, no phone calls or emails, no questions at the Cuppa with a Councillor sessions, only members of the society complain about this. Even the one immediately after the announcement that we were going to sell did not generate questions.
“I understand the passion for the building, but the reality is that it has passed its use-by date. I think most locals have accepted that. It will cost at least $750,000 to fix and half of it will need to be demolished as it is made of brick only, there is no reinforcing steel anywhere.”
He said the council will honour the memorabilia, as they have done for Stuart Ellwood, at the request of his family.
“That was important to do, but no one connected with the others named on the honours board have been in touch to ensure they are happy with what happens to their memorabilia.”
The society’s Facebook page has a newsletter announcing the delayed decision, which “is a direct result of the long hours of continued research committee members have undertaken, travelling around the lower North Island to access various archives”. It also said members are looking for more documents such as signed agreements.
The newsletter, signed by the committee, several of whom are also on the Foxton Community Board, said they have found Foxton Borough Council minutes, with the council seal attached to an agreement for the gifting of the land binding future councils to use of land and buildings as a war memorial.
They have also “presented Internal Affairs pamphlets on terms and conditions for the government subsidies for the hall making councils commit to permanent use of the building as a community centre. We backed that up with evidence of those subsidies being paid.”
Society committee member Brett Russell said, “We are not going away. The community wants to keep the War Memorial Hall. We spent time in archives in Wellington and have unearthed documents indicating strongly that council at the time had a lot of community input, from the design stage to the fundraising. An old movie theatre was rebuilt into a great community centre.
“It is a great venue close to the waterfront and close to other historical buildings. Foxton has a great story to tell and that hall should be part of that. We have gone to council with all our documents and have written a formal letter. We are not unhappy with the delay, to give the council time to consult lawyers. I think they need to recognise that it is relevant information in favour of retaining the hall.
“The council needs to listen to the community, who want to keep the hall. We are working hard on other initiatives that might help us with this.”
The council will deal with the issue in its first meeting in the new year, which will be in February.