More than $50,000 is needed to replace the roof of the Kerepēhi Community Hall, with the local trust calling on the community for help.
The hall’s roof, already old and in need of repair, suffered damage during the stormy weather in January.
Now the tin is riddled with holes, there are internal leaks, and although a temporary fix is in place, committee members say the whole thing needs replacing.
“The tin up there is wearing thin – it is old materials, but the rainfall and stuff that we have had from the last storms have just pushed it over the edge,” Kerepēhi Community Hall and Domain Tust treasurer Emily Fitzpatrick said.
“I went up [to fix] two holes, there were probably closer to 30.
“The holes that were in the roof leaked. And then because [the ceiling’s] just that type of chipboard, it goes soggy. And now it’s a bit moldy too.”
The extent of the damage is not yet known, and Emily said the costs could balloon once the trust was able to get inside the roof and assess it properly.
“It’s over $50,000 just for the roof itself, and then we’ll need a new ceiling,” Emily said.
“And that’s not any damages that could be internal, like trusses or lights or anything else.”
The committee was relatively new and finding their feet, Emily said, having signed a memorandum of understanding with the council in December to run the hall.
“It was a way bigger project that was passed on than we were anticipating. It’s going to be a major, but it needs to be done.”
The hall, which was built in 1945, was an important community asset which had been well-used for events like birthdays, weddings, funerals, dances, concerts, marae events, and school functions, Emily said.
“At the moment we can’t really hire it out to the community because of health and safety.”
The trust has already begun fundraising for the new roof. It held its first event, a car boot sale, on Valentines Day.
Emily said the support from the community was amazing, and they raised $800.
“It was raining, but we still had people turn up. We’ve also got all these books that have been part-donated from the old bookstore (A-Z Books) that closed down in Ngatea,” Emily said.
“We had stallholders. The school came as well, they had horse rides and a car wash. They did quite well with both of those, so they were able to fund their camps and support us. And Puke Pine donated wood.”
The trust also plans to apply for grants from the Lotteries Community Fund and the Lotteries Environment and Heritage Fund, but first need to be able to show they have 33 per cent of the funds secured.
“We have some money in the bank that’s accumulated, but it’s not enough, because you still have running costs,” she said.
“But we’ve had requests for more car boot sales, and hopefully we’ll get a sunny day this time. We’ve got a huge amount of space we can use – there’s definitely possibilities to do the fundraising, but it’s just getting everybody involved to actually do it.”
The trust is also open to sponsorship from businesses, Emily said.
“It’d be nice to get a few more people involved in actually using the grounds effectively. And there’s a lot of memories here for a lot of people,” she said.
“I went to school here, and you always remember using this place. There was always something going on.
“She is an older building, she’s not in her prime. We’d like to get it back to its heyday.”
DETAILS: Contact kerepehicommunitytrust@gmail.com for more information or to get involved.
