Waimea Weekly
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Wednesday 5 November 2014
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The fastest OPEN way down DAY Leaky library may be demolished Page 14
Henley School’s leaky library is so badly damaged by water that it may have to be demolished, only ten years after it was opened. Principal, John Armstrong, initiated an investigation into the water-tightness of the $984,000 library and learning centre soon after he arrived at the school in 2009. A preliminary inspection suggested that about half of the framing timber was water-damaged and that the 300 square
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metre building needed to be “remediated”. But when the cladding and roof were removed at the end of last term, the damage was found to be far more widespread and John says the building may not be worth salvaging. “They took some panels off and exposed the framing and measured the moisture content and found that 50 per cent of it had rot or water damage,” John says. “At that stage they were looking at remedia-
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Simon Bloomberg
Senior reporter Reporter
simon@waimeaweekly.co.nz tion work but then they found the extent of the rot was worse than expected - it was up to 90 per cent of the framing so they put a hold on the project.” John says they are now waiting for a decision from the Ministry of Education on
the future of the building that remains closed and is surrounded by scaffolding and plastic, weather-proof wrap. He says the board of trustees has written to the ministry recommending that the building be demolished a new one constructed. “It was opened in 2004 and 10 years later it’s ready to go on the scrap heap. It’s probably going to be cheaper and faster to start
SEE PAGE 2
Walk with Us raises $13,000
Discover NZ Campervan owner, Tony Terrell, donated the use of a campervan for ten days around the South Island to the Walk with Us charity auction. Getting the keys is winner of the auction, June Ferguson, as trustees and associates, from left, Jill Taylor, Linda Bergman, Sarze Kay, Aly Walker, Sue Davies and Mandy Springer, from Walk with Us watch on. Photo: Andrew Board.
Spurred on by a stirring speech from Stoke School principal Pete Mitchener, June Ferguson was happily the highest bidder for a campervan trip at the Walk with Us charity auction last week. The auction raised $13,000 in total for the trust, which gives school or sports shoes to needy students from various local schools. The main auction item was a ten day trip around the South Island in a campervan from Discover NZ. June bid $1500 for it as a surprise 60th birthday present for her husband. But having a photo in the paper meant she had to confess to the auction win and ruin the surprise. “He was happy, though,” she says. Trust president Carole Shirley says the auction was a huge success and the trust wanted to thank Nelson for supporting it. “We were pretty impressed with how much we raised, and we’re now looking at widening the number of schools that we go to because we now have enough money to go further.” Currently, the trust will accept applications for shoes from Auckland Point, Victory, Birchwood, Stoke, Henley and Wakefield schools. Stoke School principal Pete Mitchener spoke emotionally at the auction about the joy and pride the shoes give the students.
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