Is the planned $2.6 million upgrade of Cromwell's Memorial Hall warranted or would a ''lick of paint'' and a few repairs do the trick?
Those were among the questions considered by the Cromwell Community Board yesterday as members spent more than an hour debating the next stage of the development, whether to accept preliminary designs for the upgrade.
Two new board members, Shirley Calvert and Tom Pinckney questioned whether the revamp was affordable for ratepayers or necessary, while long-term members Helen Hucklebridge and Gordon Stewart said the public had been consulted and wanted the plans to proceed.
Board chairman Neil Gillespie said it was always good to look at projects with ''fresh'' eyes, but after several delays to the work because of a lack of funding, it was time to act.
Construction work was scheduled to begin in 2016 but urgent repairs were needed before then.
''We haven't done anything to this building for quite some time and now we have to do something,'' he said.
Mrs Hucklebridge said residents had been ''dissatisfied'' with the standard of the hall for a long time.
''It will cost us so much to bring it up to basic requirements ... and when you see what you could get if we spend double that amount, we could attract more people to use the facility,'' she said.
It was the only facility in the town that could cater for bigger crowds.
Ms Calvert said she was ''uncomfortable'' with spending so much on the upgrade.
The delays on the project had been because of the lack of funds and that was still the case.
''Somewhere along the line, doing up the toilets and kitchen morphed into a rebuild and redevelopment.''
The district had to cope with the financial implications of a wastewater treatment upgrade and town centre revamp, she said.
Mr Pinckney said he agreed with Ms Calvert about the hall.
''Maybe it just needs a lick of paint and to get things working.''
Although an upgraded hall was desirable, Cromwell did not have the population to warrant it or pay for it, so the redevelopment was unjustified, he said.
Mr Gillespie said more than $1 million needed to be spent just to ''get the building up to scratch''.
The board agreed to adopt the preliminary designs and discuss the matter again when final designs were tabled.
Former Cromwell mayor Peter Mead admonished the board last month about the condition of the hall, saying it was 13 years since plans to upgrade it were first mooted.
