City leaders upset by $2.5m library shortfall
One of Christchurch’s most popular libraries is at risk of being rebuilt as a ‘‘substandard facility’’ that will fail to meet the needs of its community, some city leaders fear.
There is a $2.5 million shortfall to rebuild South Library in Beckenham, and with no extra money currently in the Christchurch City Council’s budget, councillors and community board members are worried the project will be scaled back. They are urging the public to make a submission to the council’s draft annual plan, before submissions close at 11.59pm tonight, to ensure more money is put in the budget.
The council decided in June last year to demolish South Library on Colombo St and rebuild it after hearing from staff it was cheaper to demolish than to repair – $26.6m to repair versus $24.9m to rebuild.
The council had only $13.4m on budget for the project and acknowledged last year that more money would have to be spent.
Another $9m has since been earmarked thanks to a $30.6m Government grant, given to the city as part of the Three Waters reform.
However, this still leaves a $2.5m hole. Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board chairperson Callum Ward told the council at its meeting last week that the board was ‘‘gravely concerned’’ about the project.
‘‘Unless we adjust the budget now to meet the actual needs of the facility, the scope of this project will be eroded to the point where we will deliver a substandard facility that will fail to meet the needs of the community.’’
Ward said the library, which was also a service centre, was one of the most wellused in the city and had a higher book turnover than Tū ranga, the central library.
‘‘The community was promised a likefor-like replacement rebuild.’’
His concerns were shared by councillors Melanie Coker, Sara Templeton and Tim Scandrett. Templeton said staff were designing the facility to the lower $22.4m budget rather than the $25m councillors were expecting.
‘‘We need to make sure the agreed budget is the one staff are working towards.’’
The community needed a fit-for-purpose library that met the needs of the community for decades to come instead of ‘‘scrimping and saving now’’, Templeton said.
The building, which was built in 2003, did not perform well in the 2011 earthquakes, with its foundation sinking between 350 millimetres and 450mm.
Temporary strengthening work was done in 2012, but the building still sits at 34% of the new building standard. If it fell below that it would have to close immediately.
Coker said spending more on a building could sometimes reduce the ongoing operational cost of running it, which became cheaper in the long run.
But councillor Aaron Keown applauded staff for sticking to the smaller budget. ‘‘Too often in the past we have not done enough of that.’’ He said there would no doubt be architectural elements in the new building that would win it awards, but he questioned if they were necessary to get a good functional library.