Western News: January 30, 2018

WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday January 30 2018 5
News
Aurora Centre repair work delayed
• By Julia Evans
UPGRADE AND repair work
on the Aurora Centre will not
be finished for a month longer
than anticipated.
The performing arts centre,
on the site of Burnside High
School, has been undergoing
weather tightness and earthquake
damage repairs since the
beginning of January.
But due to the complexity of
the work, the building which
was expected to be complete by
February, won’t be open until
at least March
with a final
date yet to be
confirmed,
principal Phil
Holstein said.
He said while
the repair work
was going on, Phil Holstein
the school was
also taking the opportunity to
spend time doing “necessary”
upgrades to the centre.
The school has spent $2 million
on the upgrades, which
includes a new air conditioning
system and refreshing the paint
job on the building’s exterior,
as well as some smaller internal
work.
“It was definitely time to
upgrade . . . I’d heard from a few
people the heating and cooling
CONSTRUCTION: The Aurora Centre for the Performing Arts will not be open for a month
longer than expected.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
definitely needed work on it,”
Mr Holstein said.
But with the delay, he said
there would be some interruption
when students returned
from the summer holiday at the
start of February.
“We tried to start and finish
it over the holiday to minimise
disruption . . . but with this kind
of work you always anticipate
delays,” he said.
Work on the 700-seat performing
arts centre is part of
a $24 million repair and redevelopment
plan at the school,
which includes several of the
school’s other buildings.
Once completed, Mr Holstein
said the board would be able
to begin “the master planning
stage” of the school’s post-quake
redevelopment.
“We’re one of the last schools
in the city to start on our master
plan,” he said.
Mr Holstein said the upgrade
work on the Aurora Centre is
not only important to the school
but the wider community too.
The building was a key space
following the February 22, 2011,
earthquake. It was one of the
only spaces to host events left in
the city.
“It’s a significant building
for Burnside but also for the
city post-quake ,” Mr Holstein
said.
Local
News
Now
In Brief
Fire rages, homes at risk
LODESTAR AVE BUS STOP
The Halswell-Hornby-
Riccarton Community Board
will meet tonight to consider
approving a new bus stop and
no-parking restrictions at the
intersection of Lodestar Ave
and Stark Drive, Wigram.
City council staff have
recommended the bus stop and
restrictions are approved.
AMAZING PLACE EVENT
The Riccarton Community
Church Trust is seeking $8600
from the Halswell-Hornby-
Riccarton Community
Board’s discretionary response
fund. It wants the grant to
run Our Amazing Place – a
treasure hunt in Riccarton
– on March 3. City council
staff recommended $2500 be
approved for the event.
HORNBY PARTY GRANT
The Hornby Community Care
Trust has asked for $2000
from the Halswell-Hornby-
Riccarton Community Board’s
discretionary response fund
for its Hello Hornby – Our
Community Party in the
Park. City council staff have
recommended the funding be
approved. The event is set to
take place in Wycola Park, Hei
Hei, on March 24.