9 November 2005

Waiheke library working party formed to canvass options

Auckland City will appoint a working party of elected representatives to help investigate future options for the Waiheke library and service centre facilities.

The council is currently looking to upgrade the island's library and service centre because both have reached their capacity. A survey will be carried out to assess community needs and requirements for both facilities.

The Community Development and Equity Committee today decided that a working party of councillors should be involved in the process to determine preferred options for the future of the library and service centre.

Committee chairperson, Councillor Cathy Casey, says: "We need to make some major decisions around the future of the library and service centre so that they best meet the needs of the island's growing population.

"We'll be having an ongoing dialogue with the local community about the best way forward and no decisions will be made without community involvement.

"It's also important that councillors and community board members are fully up-to-date with what's on the drawing board and that's why we want to establish this special working party.

"The working party should bring a valuable insight to the process to ensure that we deliver better services for Waiheke Islanders," she says.

The options that could be considered include:
* improving the library on the existing site
* building a new library as part of the Artworks complex in Oneroa
* improving the service centre on the existing site
* building a new service centre in Ostend
* building a combined service centre and library at Oneroa
* building a combined service centre and library at Ostend.

The new working party will include Councillor Cathy Casey and Councillor Leila Boyle. Another four elected representatives have yet to be appointed to the working party.

Further public input will be sought once potential options have been identified.

ENDS

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