Key Dates
Community Information Drop-in Session: 3:00 - 6:00pm, Waihī Beach Library and Service Centre.
Works begin
We started removing vegetation and clearing the site this week, in preparation for excavation of the building platform and the laying of services.
While there's plenty happening on site, rest assured, the existing library, community hall and Menz Shed will stay open while the new facility is being built.
Part of the car park is closed, including the freedom camping spaces, but if you need to load/unload anything, there will be vehicle access at the back of the hall and Menz Shed throughout the duration of the building works.
And, if we do need to put any temporary restrictions in place along the way, we'll let you know in advance.
Piling completed
Things are taking shape with the piling for the new building now complete. The next stage is to pour the pile caps for the floor, and then the gravel can be added and the site built up to floor level.
The existing library, community hall and Menz Shed remain open and it's great to see that they are still being well used.
We're working on a new, permanent accessway at the back of the hall and the Menz Shed. In the meantime, you can still drive around the back via a temporary accessway if you need to load/unload anything.
Pouring of the concrete floor
We've reached a key milestone with the pouring of the concrete floor! Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors, Waihī Beach Community Board members and Waihī Beach Community Centre committee members were on site to witness the pour, celebrating a strong partnership that continues to shape this important community facility.
Great positive progress has been made to date, and we are on budget and on track to open by July this year.
New accessway
The new accessway behind the hall is finished and will be open for business on Tuesday (18 March).
If you're on foot, you can still use the previous access, along the front of the hall and down the side between the hall and the school, but from Tuesday it will be closed off to vehicles.
We are continuing to make good progress on the build, with trusses, purlins and framing mostly completed.
The building is now in the process of being lined, with the roof due to go on next week.
Windows and doors are expected to be installed in the next two weeks, keeping us on track for a July opening.
'Te Ara Mātauranga' name gifted
Waihī Beach, your new library and community hub now has a name: Te Ara Mātauranga - The Pathway to Knowledge.
The name has been gifted by Te Whānau a Tauwhao hapū, acknowledging the facility's importance as a place of learning, connection and shared knowledge.
We are incredibly grateful to Te Whānau a Tauwhao for the name, which has been approved by Council and gives a unique community identity to the facility.
In the video, above, Reon Tuanau, of Ōtāwhiwhi Marae, explains the significance of the name.
Car park reshaped
From Monday 5 May the car park at the front of the library will be closed, so work can begin to reshape the area into a new layout with more parking spaces and better accessibility.
The front car park will stay closed until the new library opens in July. In the meantime you can park on the south side of the hall, around the public toilets and skatepark, and at the back (east side) of the hall. If these areas are full, there's additional parking off Hillview Road.
Before construction, there were 57 parking spaces in front of the existing library, which was reduced down to 24 to allow for building work. Once complete, there will be a total of 63 car parks in front of the library, around the back of the hall and in the new extension by the skatepark.
This will include four accessible car parks - three in front of the library, and one at the back (compared to just one at the front previously).
Thanks to everyone for your patience while the work is happening.
Materials recycled
Offcuts and leftover materials from the build are weaving their way into the community through a recycling effort that is giving them a second life in gardens, schools, farms and local projects.
Close to 170sqm of materials - mostly offcuts of timber, piles and plywood - have been utilised by individuals and community groups, including the Waihī Beach Menz Shed, Waihī Beach School and Habitat for Humanity.
Much of the timber was recycled via an on-site 'kiosk' run by Hawkins - from which people could collect materials for their home and community projects.
Garry Kirkbride, below, used cut-off timber piles to replace a garden retaining wall in his backyard, that was previously made from old tyres.
Hawkins says a site this size would normally generate up to 30 cubic metres of waste, and so far they have redirected half that amount from landfill!
You can read the full story here.
Old library closes
Our team are busily preparing to move into the much larger, modern, purpose-built space. As part of these preparations, the current library will close temporarily from 2pm on Wednesday 18 June, until the opening of the new library - Te Ara Mātauranga - on Tuesday 1 July.
The closure will allow time to move everything across to the new building, which shares the same site as the existing library.
During this time, the loan system has been configured so that no books or other items will be due back until the new library opens – in the meantime, people are encouraged to hold onto them.
Students visit construction site
Here's a throwback to earlier in the build when Student Leaders from Waihī Beach School were given a hard-hat tour of the construction site.
Things have progressed since then, and the students are looking forward to the opening on 1 July, and being able to use the new space.
You can read all about their special tour here.
Te Ara Mātauranga is open!
Te Ara Mātauranga is open!
Around 160 people gathered to mark this special occasion, with a blessing led by Reon Tuanau of Ōtāwhiwhi Marae, supported by tamariki from Waihī Beach Kura - with Mayor James Denyer cutting the ribbon to declare the building officially open.
"Libraries today are important community hubs - their role is so much more than just a repository for books. They're public spaces where communities come together to learn, connect and thrive," says Mayor James.
"This has been a collaborative process with involvement from elected members, Council staff, mana whenua, the school, and the community centre committee. I want to thank all those involved for achieving such a great result, and in particular our builder, Hawkins, for delivering ahead of time and on budget."
Read more about the Te Ara Mātauranga opening here.
