Yesterday, Vincent Community Board members unanimously voted in favour of a staged investment approach, allocating $12million over the next 30 years.
Built in the 1960s from funds raised from the Alexandra Blossom Festival, the stadium is Central Otago’s main indoor recreation venue.
Although Central Otago district councillor Tracy Paterson expressed concerns over the expenditure, council property and facilities manager Garreth Robinson maintained the stadium was a "good asset" with quality "bone structure".
Otherwise he would recommend "demolishing and starting over", which fellow council staff member Tara Bates said would cost at least $15m and could not be staggered over 30 years.
Vincent Community Board chairwoman Tamah Alley agreed.
"We used to fix stuff and maintain it, before we became this generation of just throw it away and get a new one."
This decision follows multiple reports commissioned by the Central Otago District Council this year on the state of the 50-plus-year-old stadium.
The results returned found it contained asbestos, was not safe in the event of a major earthquake, lacked accommodations for people with disabilities and required fire safety upgrades.
The price tag in the current 2024-34 long-term plan was $5.6m, which included $1.1m for yearly maintenance, $912,000 for asbestos, $1.5m for earthquake strengthening, $795,000 for accessibility upgrades and $1.1m for fire safety.
However, where the funds will come from — reserves or ratepayers — is up for discussion at a later date. And the decision is not yet final as Central Otago district councillors will need to vote on the upgrades and maintenance.
The Vincent Community Board could choose to use its reserves upfront, with its kitty sitting at $6.5m, or by using various loan repayment schemes to itself. The latter option could cost ratepayers up to $118 per year for 20 years.
Cr Martin McPherson said the uncertainty over how the work would be funded made the decision "quite difficult to make".
"Because we are not too sure what the impact is going to be on our ratepayers."
If all goes ahead, the funds allocated will start in the 2025-26 financial year.
Molyneux Stadium
Seismic risk: A 2020 detailed seismic assessment rated the stadium as under 20% of the new build standard.
Asbestos: A survey confirmed asbestos in the building and some would need to be removed, especially before seismic work.
Fire safety: The fire safety systems require upgrades, including alarms, lighting and potentially a sprinkler system.
Building condition: A 2023 assessment rated the building’s overall condition as good/moderate, but identified increased life safety risk in the event of a major earthquake.
Accessibility: The building requires modifications to improve accessibility.
— Lauren Pattemore
