A library and a community centre

Press, 22 February 1980, Page 7

A library and a community centre

Stage I of the Paparua County Council Cultural Centre, situated in Goulding Avenue, Hornby, will be officially opened today by Mr Michael Connelly, M.P. for Yaldhurst. The two-building complex shared by the Paparua County Library and the Community Care Trust was designed by Griffiths, Moffat and Partners and built by. W. Williamson Construction Co., Ltd, in 10 months, according to schedule, at'' a total cost of $300,000. The Paparua County Council Cultural Centre is the result of a joint venture consisting of the Paparua County Council, the Social Welfare Department, the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Disturbed

Children’s Aid Movement the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian churches and service clubs. The cultural centre has also been very fortunate to have received strong support from the community throughout its development and it now has the potential for providing one of the most comprehensive community care services available. The idea of starting a cultural centre in the Paparua district began in the late sixties when the council was looking for permanent premises for the Paparua County Library. The Methodist Circuit also made an approach to the council for the formation of a com-

munity care centre which later developed into a community project. The two hectares and a half of land on Goulding Avenue near the Main South Road is owned by the council. Stage I of the Cultural Centre includes a building for the Paparua County Library, connected to another building housing the Community Care services. ■ The complex' looks out over a paved courtyard and the recreational parkland beyond. The Paparua County Library with its spacious 402 sq m of floor space io now situated in its firs fl permanent premises, and is managed by Mr K. Ocock, the County Librarian, and three full time and three part time members of staff. Anyone can join and the library does not charge a subscription fee even for people who live outside the county. Library hours are from 10.15 a.m. to 5.15 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday, 10.15 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, 10.15 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 9.15 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to the library section there is a lounge and display area in the foyer nearby, where the centre hopes to encourage various local groups and organisations such as the Spinners and Weavers Group and and the Astronomical Society, to show their work. The Community Care Centre, connected to the library and display foyer by a connecting corridor, houses the information and reception desk manned by .local interviewers from the Citizens Advice Bureau, a drop-in lounge (with hot and cold drink

slot machines), a community “opportunity” shop, counselling rooms, a kitchen and a community room. The Citizens Advice Bureau and the Community shop will be open every day from 10.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Thursday nights till 9 p.m. The recycled clothes and local arts and crafts displayed for sale in the shop represent the work of a wide range of groups

in the community and all of the profits go towards the operation and maintenance of the Community Care Centre to benefit the Paparua County area and beyond. Courses are being planned for the community room and it will also be used by local groups for meetings and get-to-gethers. These include courses such as l the “new outlook for women” couse run by the Christchurch Polytechnic, the Marriage Guidance Council and courses on mental health and community issues. The Christchurch Household Budget and Advisory Service will also begin a course from March 12, on

Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Rooms are available for meetings and courses for up to 40 people and inquiries will be received at the Citizens Advice Bureau. The Rev. Bill Wallace, the Hornby Methodist minister, employed by the Charitable Trust as the coordinator of the centre, said he hoped that people from throughout the Paparua district and beyond would find the new cultural centre a “home away from home.” Of the $300,000 total, the Paparua County Council has paid its portion of $200,000 largely through loan, Government subsidy and revenue, The Community Care Trust, a body set up to co-ordinate fund raising and the use of half the complex by welfare, community and counselling groups, has obtained loans. Fortunately, the Methodist Church of New Zealand has underwritten the project and without this support, the centre would not have been able to proceed. Local fund raising organisations have helped greatly with the project costs including the Hornby Centenary Committee, local service clubs, the Hornby Businessmen’s Community Fund, the Department of Social Welfare, churches, local residents, business houses and the Disturbed Children’s Aid Movement.

Cr J. Y. Pethig, chairman of the Paparua County Council, said he would like to congratulate the building contractors for their part in completing the centre, and the local shops and businesses for their support in this feature.