9 March 2022
The first Civic Facility Steering Committee took place on Wednesday 9 March, with a focus on options for our potential future site on the council-owned land surrounding the Trust House Recreation Centre.
Architectural firm Architectus explained the intent of the project – to create a facility that brings people together, that supports placemaking, and is focused on community. Architectus also outlined their process for engaging with users and stakeholders of the library and theatre.
Workshops are now underway with subject matter experts and key stakeholders, based on the main elements the Civic Facility will offer. Theatre workshops have already started – exploring the aspirational ideas and practical needs of local theatre users. Workshops around the Library will begin next – with all workshops expected to be completed by Easter.
These workshops will drive how the functional areas of the Civic Facility will work – exciting news for our Library and Archive in particular as they begin to explore how their modern spaces might work best within the Civic Facility for our expanding community well into the future.
Our growth in the past five years has been spectacular. It’s great to see many younger families are choosing the region to call home – giving us greater impetus to design a facility for them and future generations.
Initial options were used to highlight the adaptability of the proposed site – with three ideas shown as an illustration for how the site might be used, taking into consideration existing geographical features and sight lines, and a sense of connection to the town centre and the facility’s immediate surrounds. These were by no means final options but gave an exciting glimpse into what could be possible on that site.
We also heard from our Fundraiser, Steve Bramley. He offered insight into how these projects work around New Zealand – with a focus on community collaboration.
Community collaboration was a strong theme in this meeting. Architectus were very clear that mana whenua /iwi collaboration and community partnerships would be key to the success of the project moving forward.
We look forward to continuing to share ideas, and to collaborating with partners and our community as the Civic Facility project continues.
You can watch a recording of the meeting, held using Zoom, on the Masterton District Council Facebook page.