Official re-opening of the Coromandel Citizens Hall in Coromandel Town next month

We're less than a month out from celebrations to mark the completion of the Coromandel Citizens Hall.

The Coromandel Citizens Hall, formerly the St George's Convent School (1897), has had a significant restoration over the past year, and we will be celebrating its official re-opening from 11am on Saturday 2 November. The celebration will include a blessing of the hall, speeches acknowledging the works and those that have contributed, followed by light refreshments.

"This is a celebration to thank the community for their patience throughout the upgrade, which started in February and involved general tidy-up repairs, maintenance and painting of the interior to return the building to its former character and allow it be reopened for public use," says Allan Tiplady, our Area Manager, North.

The frames have gone up on the two porches, which have be rebuilt to match what they were originally, and new double doors have been installed at both porches. The new weather boards have also been installed on the outside walls. The interior furnishings are complete, our contractors are now installing the new commercial kitchen.

There’s also been a number of small refurbishments over the past three years, including storm water diversion, replacement of the western wall and some roof sheets above the toilet area, improving roof rainwater collection and painting the building’s façade. A total refurbishment of the ablution area was also done.

The Hall’s original floor was a combination of kauri and tawa, which has been replaced with 100-year-old matai, that was salvaged from rivers in the Hawkes Bay. There were already many areas of the floor that had been patched over the years, including some spots that were rotten and required replacing.

The cost of the restoration is approximately $600,000, funded by our Council and external agencies. The Bizarre Trust in Coromandel Town donated $200,000, which was spent on the internal finishes of the building. We also received a grant from the Lotteries Community Facilities for $248,987, along with a grant from Trust Waikato for $37,500 which contributed towards the refurbishments of the kitchen.

Thanks to all the locals who have been behind this project, including Coromandel Town builder Glenn Beattie who was employed to do the restoration work, along with a variety of local subcontractors including Jan Kocian, Jay Park, and Mark Attwood. The painters involved were Allen Agar, Ngaru Drum, and Tony Burton.

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