The Dunedin City Council is set to appoint a project manager to push ahead with a long-awaited library and community hub in South Dunedin.
Council community services general manager Simon Pickford said yesterday the council was days away from seconding a staff member to the project.
One of their tasks would be to oversee a review of the best site options for the complex, which was just beginning, Mr Pickford said.
The council's long-term plan, adopted last week, included $5.25million, spread over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 years, to build the complex.
In 2016, the council had identified a preferred site inside the former BNZ building in King Edward St - linked to the Gasworks Museum through Lorne St - for the community complex.
However, councillors delayed a decision amid fresh concerns about a lack of consultation, while opening a temporary pop-up facility inside the Cargill Enterprises premises in Hillside Rd last year.
Mr Pickford said yesterday the plan to build a permanent facility was still progressing, but the ``turnover'' of buildings in South Dunedin since 2016 meant the earlier work needed to be revisited.
``A lot of great work's been done, but obviously things change.
``We want to make sure that the assumptions we made back then around certain sites are still going to work.''
That would include looking again at the best site options, including the former BNZ building and any alternatives, such as the Pact building also previously suggested, Mr Pickford said.
Other issues, such as the future of NZ Post's South Dunedin operation or a suggestion that the library work in with the Mayfair Theatre, would also be explored.
So, too, would partnering with another organisation, such as NZ Post or the Ministry of Social Development, to expand the services on offer in the hub and make it ``a lot more sustainable and a lot more attractive to the community as well''.
The council had held initial discussions with both NZ Post and MSD, but no agreements had been reached, he said.
``There's lots of things up in the air ... The library is one key component we're going to be offering, but there are other things as well.
``Whoever we partner with ... they have to be mutually compatible services.''
He believed the timeframe for construction remained realistic, especially if the council could secure a site ``that doesn't need a huge amount of development''.
``We could get something up and running quite quickly.''
However, it was not yet clear if the former BNZ Bank or Pact buildings were still options available to the council, as both had tenants, he said.
``That's the piece of work that's kicking off now.''
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Comments
Why is the Council seemingly fixated on building a new facility.
Wouldn't it make more sense to lease one on a long-term basis?
Why own even more property that will need maintenance and eventual replacement.