Southland District Councillors have approved the unbudgeted expenditure of more than $1.3 million for the refurbishment of the Winton Office and Library in Wemyss Street, at a council meeting this morning. 

The refurbishment will be funded from existing residual property budgets totalling $500,000 and a 30-year loan funding of $814,918 beginning in the 2021/2022 financial year.

The Winton Library was closed in March 2019 after toxic mould was discovered on the premises. 

While work was undergone to remove the toxic mould, council staff looked at ways to bring the building back up to a safe and usable standard and also identify how it could be adapted to provide additional capacity and better serve the community in the future. 

Southland District Council Community Facilities Manager Mark Day prepared the report on the refurbishment of the Winton Office and Library which was delivered to councillors today.

Councillors deliberated over four possible options to repair the library but chose option 3 – the recommended option and third most expensive option.

Option 3 will see the office and library space undergo an extensive refurbishment and new fit-out with modern furniture and fittings costing an estimated $1,314,918. 

It will also integrate the storage and stock turnover site on Brandon Street into Wemyss Street (which is currently being leased by the SDC for approximately $35,000 per year) to reduce operational costs by redirecting them to loan funding, "thereby reducing the impact on ratepayers moving forward," the report reads. 

The other options, which were not chosen were:

Option 1- refurbishing with the existing furniture for $500,000. 

Option 2 - refurbishing the space with new furniture and fittings for an estimated $800,000 or

Option 4 - a new purpose build building on the existing or a new site at an estimated cost of $2.5 million. 

Cr Christine Menzies applauded the planned work done to improve the building which she said would offer a safe and enjoyable space for the whole community.

"While I would love the last option," she joked, "I have a responsibility to be prudent and I am really pleased to hear that around this table we haven't made the mistake of thinking a library exists just to improve the community through access to books."

"Instead for this investment – why would not take the opportunity to consider the social well-being that this upgrade can provide and indeed one can argue the cultural well-being of our community," she said.

She said the library would be a safe, warm, and trusted space that would encourage learning, connectedness and cater to everyone by offering disabled access so those living with disabilities could feel "comfortable and excited" in accessing the library. 

Once the work is completed, the building will be fit for purpose with a 100% NBS (New Building Standard) rating. 

The next steps now for the council will be to finalise the design and obtain consents before starting construction.