Thursday, November 16, 2017
THE old OMP Clubrooms at Princess Street Reserve looks perfectly fine from the outside but poses a risk to the public and isn’t any longer suitable for tenants.
Photos Ross McCullough OB4031-1
Ross McCullough
The former Opotiki Maori Players clubrooms on Princess Street Reserve are to be demolished.
The now derelict clubrooms were transferred to council ownership by default when the OMP Club disbanded some time ago.
In a report to Opotiki District Council, property officer Tina Gedson recommended the building be demolished to reduce risk to the public, which councillors agreed to.
Mrs Gedson said the premises were in an advanced state of disrepair, with the most recent tenants, Sports Opotiki Incorporated, terminating its lease citing the building not being fit for purpose.
In February this year, Sports Opotiki Incorporated as lessor, wrote to the council seeking to relinquish the lease as it was surplus to requirements – and the building leaked badly with a roof that was not structurally sound.
Opotiki Sports had been leasing the clubrooms for $1 per annum.
Due to the risk the building now posed to the public, Mrs Gedson said it could not be leased in its current condition.
Repair or renovation would be costly with no identified purpose for the premises, and further deterioration would see it become a risk to the public.
She said the cost of bringing the building up to a rentable standard was estimated to be between $80,000 and $100,000. In comparison, the estimated costs to demolish and remove the clubrooms was about $16,000.
Councillor and Opotiki Rugby Club president Barry Howe said the clubrooms were not listed as an historic building under the Historic Places Trust but part of the clubrooms used to serve as the old Opotiki jail.
He asked what could be done about preserving that history, joking that “there would be a few local names carved into the wall there.”
The council said it would be happy to look at options for the jail’s preservation.
Deputy mayor Lyn Riesterer suggested turning the demolition into some sort of fundraiser “with people out there with sledgehammers or something.”