Above is an artist rendering of the how the new Hastings Municipal Building will look, seen from Heretaunga Street East, hopefully by April next year. Cool or what?!
The final fit-outs and street-side flourishs will cost $2.9 million, rounding out the larger $20 million investment (including $4.75 in external funding) in structural redesign and earthquake strengthening.
There’s always debate about investing large ratepayer sums in community ‘amenities’, especially when these compete with vital ‘core essentials’ like water systems that actually work.
BayBuzz has voiced this concern often.
However, the Hastings Council has finally begun to come to terms with previous regimes’ underspend on water infrastructure, making improvements in community and cultural assets more defensible.
What’s your view? Have they got the spending balance right?
The refurbished facility is expected to generate revenue.
Group manager corporate Bruce Allan said:
“We are looking forward to making some exciting announcements in the coming weeks regarding two new hospitality tenancies on the ground floor of the Municipal Building.
“And we are working hard on other potential tenancies, with opportunities to showcase Hawke’s Bay wine and a dealer art gallery two of the options being considered.”
I would expect hopeful tenants will be begging to get in!
The public and the media need to get over their incessant complaining about the quantum of rates. It is a city’s/region’s role to provide infrastructure and amenities and these come at a cost, an ever-increasing cost. If you want to live in a decent area then get used to paying for it and stop complaining every time rates are increased to cover the costs. We now effectively have to pay a lump to recompense for years of neglect of infrastructure, rather than small amounts spread over many years.