From the Mayor

Martinborough’s Waihinga Centre is an exciting and ambitious project.  It aims to turn the old town hall in to a vibrant multi-purpose hub and this plan has had unprecedented community support. Nearly one and a half million dollars towards the cost of building the centre has been raised through donations and events.  There is not one single major project in the whole of the Wairarapa that has come anywhere near this level of community support and this is amazing for a small town.
 
Unfortunately though some of the grants are for lesser amounts than applied for and some proposed land sales are proving challenging.  This means there is a funding shortfall and until it is clear how this will be met Council cannot give the go-ahead.
 
As a way forward, at its meeting on 26 August, Council approved a recommendation to consult with the people of Martinborough on the idea of a targeted rate to fund the shortfall.  Councillors were lobbied at the meeting by a group of Featherston residents urging them to abandon the Waihinga Centre project.
 
Council acknowledges that it had believed the development could be completed without impacting on rates.  Due to the huge community support however we felt we owed it to Martinborough to have a discussion around the options available before making a final decision.  Whether or not the Waihinga Centre goes from a dream to a reality is up to those who will benefit most from it.
 
Consultation will be underway very soon and the process will take about two months.  Please have your say.
 
Adrienne Staples