Museum and Council staff to return home to Roche Street

Earthquake strengthening will be undertaken on the former Te Awamutu Museum and Council building to allow staff to return ‘home’.

The building at 135 Roche Street was vacated with some urgency in 2022, following a detailed seismic assessment that found the building was earthquake-prone at 20 percent of the New Building Standard (NBS). The minimum, legal seismic performance standard for buildings is 34 percent of NBS.

At yesterday's Council meeting, approval was given to refurbish and strengthen the office building to 50 percent NBS.

Deputy chief executive Ken Morris said the seismic strengthening work will futureproof the building for the next 25 years.

Currently, an office space on Rickit Road is being leased to accommodate staff and the museum at an annual cost of $179,000 a year. The lease is up for renewal in July 2025.

Mr Morris said consideration had also been given to upgrading the building to 67 percent NBS but the 50 percent option was significantly lower cost and less invasive.

“It will also hopefully mean that we won’t need to renew the lease at Rickit Road for another year.”

The work will include seismic strengthening, re-roofing, window refurbishments and fire safety improvements.

Construction will start in November this year and is planned to be finished by July 2025.