9 May 2023
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Rotorua Museum options
Enquiry
Reporter sent the following to both Mayor Tapsell and the council organisation for response:
Am writing something up ahead of the council meeting tomorrow where the four options for the museum will be discussed and had some comment from RDRR chairman Reynold Macpherson for response:
Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers association chairman Reynold Macpherson said its members held diverse views on the museum.
“Some want it to go back to central government where it came from.
“Some see it as beautiful and iconic, and far more worthy of restoration than other pet projects because it could generate income.”
He said others saw the “escalating costs” and an inherited $300million debt as reasons for "mothballing it, holding rates rises down, stopping borrowing and achieving a surplus budget".
“Elected members would be wise to commission advice on all options from a licensed and experienced quantity surveyor and then consult ratepayers.”
Response
From Mayor Tapsell:
Naturally there is a lot of interest in what the future of the iconic Rotorua Bath House will be. Progress has unfortunately been slow to date, but we’re committed to finding a solution as soon as possible.
The projected cost for fully restoring it to a museum has risen drastically since the Council last consulted with the community in 2018. It’s been five years since that consultation, and a lot has changed, so it’s appropriate now to check in with our community on what their aspirations for the building are and what they’re willing to pay.
The big question is how much of a priority this project is to our community now that we know a full restore will cost upwards of $81.4m, with ongoing costs expected.
Because of this it is appropriate to provide our community with some options to consider moving forward.
From Council organisation:
Elected members will be considering this matter at tomorrow’s [Wednesday 10 May] Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Pending heavy rain
Enquiry
Just emailing ahead of the heavy rain we're expecting later this afternoon/evening to see what the council plan is.
- What message do you have for residents?
- What is the council doing to prepare for the storm?
- Are there certain areas of concern given the amount of rain we've had in the last week? What are the high-risk areas?
- Have measures been put in place in high-risk areas? What?
- How can the council help if people need help?
Any other comments are welcome!
Response
RLC messaging had already been posted to our website and Facebook (here and here) and we provided the reporter with these links and informed her she was welcome to use any/all of this information.