Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Extending ‘tired’ council building investigated
Marlborough’s council has plans to explore options for expanding its main building, which is “a bit tired” and running out of space, according to its chief executive.
However, the $100,000 earmarked to investigate options, which could include expanding into the now-demolished Millennium Art Gallery site on the corner of Seymour and Alfred streets, is not budgeted until the 2025-26 financial year.
It means staff will continue to use methods such as hot desking and working from home until a solution is found.
Marlborough District Council chief executive Mark Wheeler said at a long term plan budget meeting on February 26 that space at the Seymour St administration building was “tight”.
The issue was also highlighted at a full council meeting last year, when the council’s economic, community and support services manager Dean Heiford said the number of full-time employees at the council had increased by 19% in five years.
Wheeler said the council wanted to budget $100,000 to do design work around options for the building in 2025-26. No funds for upgrades or construction would be budgeted until after that had happened.
“The building is getting a bit tired in places which is more of a maintenance issue,” he said.
By waiting until 2025-26, the council should have a better understanding of staff growth. At the moment, they were waiting to understand whether the coalition Government’s policies, such as the restructuring of Three Waters, would affect staff numbers.
“We have to struggle through to that point with the building we’ve got, in terms of space,” he said.
It led Wairau-Awatere councillor Scott
Adams to ask if the budget should be $100,000 if they were just looking at conceptual designs.
But Wheeler said the council would not spend any more than they believed was necessary. “It’s very hard to know. We haven’t been out to the market,” Wheeler said.
He said they could always bring that budget back to council once they knew how much it was going to cost.
“But, you know, to do it properly, it’s not just about an architect looking at what it’s going to cost to put another wing on.
“It’s also looking at what the needs of staff are in terms of facilities, systems, digital system. I think it should be a bit broader than just looking at the building.
“It’s also about what’s in the building as well, and what we can do with this building.
“It does cost a little bit of money to look at things properly, rather than just slap on another building.”
A report prepared by Wheeler for the meeting said the council had enough land for expansion either at the north of the building, now vacant after the demolition of the old Millennium Art Gallery, and into car parks at the eastern rear of the building.
At the same meeting, the council agreed to consult on doing seismic assessments of parts of the building at a cost of $80,000.
The building was made up of three separate areas, which were built in 1975, 1995 and 2005.