Feasibility Study St Andrews Presbyterian Church, Te Awamutu Community Complex 13 March 2020 1 Executive Summary St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Te Awamutu proposes to build a church and community complex at its site next to the CBD and bordering the Te Awamutu community hub area. St Andrews has been located at the site for many years but in recent years had to demolish the old church because of earthquake standards. The remaining buildings also need strengthening to meet earthquake standards and are no longer fit for purpose. The old St Andrews facilities have clearly been both church and community facilities and have served many generations. They are well used currently by a wide range of community groups and activities despite their current limitations. St Andrews has strong relationships across local communities and has been responsive to community needs locally. Groups using the existing facilities have indicated that they are keen to continue their association with St Andrews and to use the proposed new complex. The proposed complex will include a single building of 1086m2 incorporating an auditorium, seminar room/auditorium extension, hall, commercial kitchen, hub area, youth area, 3 small meeting and counselling rooms, administration area, entrance foyer and 62 on-site carparks, with ample alternative parking nearby. Resource and building consents are already in place. The design is multi-purpose, flexible and highly accessible. The population in Te Awamutu, nearby Kihikihi and surrounding districts is growing rapidly and there is a level of deprivation in Te Awamutu and Kihikihi that means responsive community organisations are particularly important. While there are other venues in Te Awamutu, most are sports-oriented, dated, centred on a bar, limited to 1 or 2 spaces, or suitable for different sized groups. Administrators of other venues commented that they often turn away community groups and families looking for venues because they do not have appropriate space or spare times available. The total project cost is $3.3million, and St Andrews hopes to raise half of that from Waipā District Council, Trust Waikato and Lottery Community Facilities funding, and the other half from church fundraising, including funds held on behalf of the Parish by the National Presbyterian Church office, a personal pledge programme and smaller community grants. If funding applications are successful, the Church is also able to sell a surplus section from its current site, which should easily net $400k. Approximately $800k is in hand and the major funding applications will be made through the middle months of this year. The funding plan is realistic if Waipā District Council, Trust Waikato and Lottery Community Facilities are able to support the project. If funding applications are successful, earthworks and then construction will begin in December 2020. A realistic operational budget has been prepared and the ongoing operation of the venue looks to be sustainable. This project is highly feasible and, if achieved, will be a significant community facility which is likely to be used often by a wide range of community groups and which will contribute to the wellbeing, vibrancy and connectedness of communities in Te Awamutu, Kihikihi and surrounding districts. 2 Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 2 A. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 B. The Remaining Facilities ..................................................................................................... 5 C. The Proposed Community Complex ................................................................................... 7 D. Ownership Structure ........................................................................................................ 10 E. Location of Community Complex ...................................................................................... 14 F. Construction and Consents .............................................................................................. 15 1. Construction .................................................................................................................. 15 2. Resource and Building Consents ................................................................................... 15 G. Current use of St Andrews Facilities ................................................................................. 16 H. Need for the Community Complex ................................................................................... 18 1. Waipā, Te Awamutu and surrounds ................................................................................ 18 2. Consultation with Tāngata Whenua .............................................................................. 19 3. Groups currently using the existing venue ................................................................... 19 4. New activities and groups ............................................................................................. 20 5. Other venues in Te Awamutu ....................................................................................... 21 I. Capital and 0perating Costs ................................................................................................. 23 1. Capital Cost ...................................................................................................................... 23 2. Operating Budget ............................................................................................................ 23 J. Funding Plan ........................................................................................................................ 25 K. Project Timeline ................................................................................................................. 27 L. Risk Assessment .................................................................................................................. 28 M. Feasibility of Proposed Community Complex ................................................................... 29 Appendix 1: Building layout and concept drawings ................................................................ 30 Appendix 2: Letter of approval from Presbyterian Church Property Trustees ....................... 33 Appendix 3: Letter of support from Kainga Aroha .................................................................. 34 Appendix 4: Waipā District Council Booklet – Our Space in the Heart of Te Awamutu .......... 35 Appendix 5: Resource consent ................................................................................................ 39 Appendix 6: Building Consent .................................................................................................. 50 Appendix 7: Letter of Support from Te Awamutu School of Dance ........................................ 56 Appendix 8: Project costs: Coresteel Waikato Quote ............................................................. 57 3 A. Introduction The mission of St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Te Awamutu is “to continue the work and teaching of Jesus in the community by leading people into a relationship with Him and equipping them to do his work”.1 The Church website describes the Church as being very “active in our engagement with both the Church family, and those in the community”, and as seeking to “impact the community around us”. The Church is a registered charity (CC51828). This mission has both an internal focus on continuing to nurture and care for members of the church and an external focus on contributing strongly beyond the congregation to the wider community. St Andrews Presbyterian Church has occupied a site at 80 Mutu St, Te Awamutu, since 1898. In 1928 the Church built the existing hall, in the 1960s the church auditorium and administration offices, and in 1972 the education block. These have been available for both church and community use. In 2013, following the Christchurch earthquakes and in line with the Building Act 2004, the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand requested that all Presbyterian Church buildings be assessed for earthquake strength. The St Andrews Church Auditorium fell well short of required standards, while the other buildings also required significant remedial works to bring them up to standard. The difficult decision was made to demolish the auditorium and to plan a complete new Community Complex more suited to both modern church life and wide community use. In 2016, a Church Property Planning Committee was established to investigate options available for the centrally positioned church site. There was strong recognition in the Committee that Church services are almost entirely on Sundays and that any facility should be widely available to others and should significantly benefit local communities. The decision was made to have plans drawn up for a multi-purpose complex which would serve the parish members and provide for a wide range of community uses. 1 http://www.standrewsta.nz/mission.html accessed 4 March 2020 4 B. The Remaining Facilities The church auditorium was demolished in late 2015. Since then, the Church has been able to continue operating by converting the existing education block into a small chapel and using the existing hall, kitchen and administration block. However, all these facilities also require upgrading to meet the earthquake standards set by the