KEY POINTS:
The future of Tauranga's ageing network of council-owned halls is to be decided as part of a study into the city's community facilities.
Halls in Arataki, Greerton, Matua, Tauriko and Welcome Bay will come under the planning microscope to see how well they met modern needs.
The study will also encompass branch libraries and city community centres, including the Papamoa Sports and Recreation Centre.
A report to yesterday's council meeting highlighted problems with halls, including their inability to respond to changing community needs. Some needed to be upgraded such as the Greerton Hall, while others including Arataki Hall were poorly located and frequently vandalised.
Matua Hall worked well because there was community ownership and clear management responsibilities.
Services that needed to improve were mainly around kitchen facilities and equipment. Off-peak use of halls tended to be low because the majority had only one large area and lacked flexibility in terms utilising space.
The study will also look at how well public access was working at the four primary schools halls that were partly funded by the council through a community-share agreement. These are the Maungatapu, Matua, Pillans Point and Selwyn Ridge schools' halls.
Another option looking further out was that the council got out of "directly' providing halls and instead focused on developing flexible multi-use spaces accommodated in community centres.
The issue of city libraries competing with video outlets, music shops and internet chat rooms was raised by Cr Bill Faulkner.
Cr David Stewart said libraries did not want to take over the role of the commercial sector, but they needed the income to offset rates.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
