Temporary premises for Rotorua District Library confirmed

Planning is underway for the Rotorua District Library’s move to temporary premises while its current location is repaired and refitted.

While work on the building is underway the library will operate out of the former Van Dyk’s building in the central city, on the corner of Pukuatua and Amohia streets, with some refitting to be completed before library services move in. The move is expected to happen late May/early June.

The Haupapa Street building needs repairs, refurbishment and earthquake-strengthening and the top floor will be extended to the same size as other floors as part of work to prevent further problems with water damage.

Once complete, the refurbished council-owned Haupapa Street building will be shared with Lakes District Health Board child services with a mix of library and DHB services on some floors and shared staff and entrance space. The DHB will become a long-term tenant in the building and will contribute funding for its part of the re-fit.

The extent of the work to be done on the building means a temporary library location is required, Rotorua Lakes Council Chief Operating Officer Dave Foster says.

“We expect to start work on the building about July and once it’s finished the Rotorua community will have a modern library that will meet the changing needs of current and future users.

“We’re progressing with our planning for the move and will be sharing details with the community once everything is finalised,” Mr Foster says.

“Rotorua’s library has moved several times over the years so staff have a good idea of what will be required and how they will make it work to ensure that people can access all the services they currently use.

“We won’t be able to take all the books we have to the temporary location but everything in storage will still be accessible – people will be able to book them,” Mr Foster says.

Fit-out of the temporary library premises is expected to cost between $150,000 and $200,000, to be funded out of existing operational capital expenditure budgets.

Meanwhile, the Library and Child Health Hub project is now moving from concept to detailed design with input from council and DHB staff as well as user groups.

Work on the Haupapa Street building is scheduled to be finished in September 2017.

Councillors received an update on the hub project at today’s [2 March 2016] council Operations and Monitoring Committee meeting.

Fact file

• The library moved to its current location in 1991;

• The Haupapa Street building was last refurbished in 2008/9;

• The library currently occupies 4400m2 of the 5600m2 building. Floor space will increase to about 6000m2 when the top floor is extended and the library will occupy 4000m2;

• An average 1000 people visit the library every day (current library membership is 33,920);

• DHB services will cater for approx 50 appointments (so 50 children) a day;

• The project has approved council budget of up to $8.8m with DHB contributing $3.2m, RECT $750,000 for DHB facilities and additional funding and sponsorship being sought by RLC

Library history

• Rotorua’s first library was the Rotorua Public Library and Reading Room, opening in April 1889 in a building next to the Rotorua Hotel at Ohinemutu;

• Since then library services have occupied various buildings in Rotorua

Links to more information

• More about the hub project here
• Presentation made at today’s meeting here
• More about the history of library services in Rotorua here

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