Some work has gone into possible funding and legal arrangements for a hall refurbishment project. Te Papanui Trust has spoken with several funders and things are looking good: they could probably access several hundred thousand Dollars. However, most funders do require parties to such a project to partly commit finances themselves. That’s one of the reasons that it was considered appropriate that St Paul’s also put money into the refurbishment. Church Property Trustees advised us that the best arrangement would be a 21-year lease of the hall precinct to Te Papanui Trust with St Paul’s retaining rights to use the parts or the whole of the complex for certain times. The Parish office and the Vicar’s office would also be in the new complex. The money that Te Papanui Trust would put into the refurbishment would be regarded as a pre-paid lease payment. Te Papanui Trust would also be responsible for maintenance of the building during that period. Due to this, St Paul’s would have to use some income from the sale of the tennis courts for the refurbishment of the hall. The refurbishment project could well cost about $2 million, so that any contribution from St Paul’s would need to be significant. Te Papanui Trust suggested that the cost should be shared 50/50.

Other potential points are:

• Te Papanui Trust deed would be updated to have more representation from St Paul’s and the Diocese (or CPT);
• Day-to-day management of the complex would lie with the Youth Centre;
• Te Papanui Trust would lead the design process with regular input from St Paul’s.
• CPT would be the overall contracting agency responsible for the work.

Such an agreement would mean that St Paul’s is putting money into the facility without being able to rent it out to other parties. However, the initial costs would be considerably lower and maintenance costs would be covered during the term of the agreement, leaving St Paul’s with significantly better facilities for the future. It would also allow St Paul’s to use its facilities well for interacting with the community. All this is currently up for discussion, so your feedback would be appreciated. Please contact me or any of the wardens with your thoughts.