Ideas for former school site wanted

Eager to see the former Tomahawk School site put to good use are (from left) resident Vic Inglis,...
Eager to see the former Tomahawk School site put to good use are (from left) resident Vic Inglis, Otago Peninsula Community Board deputy chairman Paul Pope, and residents Phil Kebble and Robert Strang. Photo by David Beck

Four years after buying the Tomahawk School site, the Dunedin City Council will invite the community to contribute ideas on ways to use or develop the site.

The expression of interest (EOI) process is expected to begin within a fortnight.

And residents say work on the site cannot come soon enough.

The Ministry of Education closed Tomahawk School in 2010 and the site was bought by Ngai Tahu.

In February 2012 the council bought the site and buildings from Ngai Tahu for $300,000.

At the time, the intention was to protect the dunes and subdivide some of the land to residential lots to recover some of the purchase price.

However, an assessment by Ahika Consulting Ltd on the coastal dunes, and advice from the council's property department, recommended against subdivision for residential development.

It cited that at least half the site should be retained for coastal protection purposes and that there would be little financial return to the council if the remaining part of the site was to be subdivided and sold.

Recreation planning and facilities manager Jendi Paterson said the council would work with the Otago Peninsula Community Board and media to ensure the local community was aware of the process.

It also planned to hold on-site open days while the EOI process was open and allow access to the school buildings and site for inspections by interested groups.

Community board deputy chairman Paul Pope said losing a school "ripped the guts out of a community''.

"There was a process started three or four years ago where the council started working with the community about what should happen to the school, but that folded,'' Mr Pope said.

"There were leaks in the roof, the building was sort of falling apart.

"I said 'Why would you spend $300,000 on a building and just let it fall down?'.''

"On the other side, there was a community with a range of ideas for what the site could be used for.''

Mr Pope urged members of the community to participate in the EOI process.

"Members of the community can express an interest in the building and its future use. That's a real positive,'' he said.

"It's a real opportunity and you might get a whole range of views, which is great.

"We have to be realistic, in terms of finances and other limitations, but eventually you might find a common thread and we can see where we go from there.''

Tomahawk resident Robert Strang said the process had dragged on too long and it was time something was done with the site.

"I accept there are fund restraints and there have been staff changes at the council, but now it's time to get on with it.

"I think it says something about this community that it has sat there all these years without being vandalised.''

He was involved with Grants Braes Football Club and thought the school site would be an ideal location for more football fields, although he would be happy with anything that encouraged community engagement.

Another resident, Vic Inglis, said the site was becoming an eyesore and a liability, and it needed a kick-start.

"When the process started there was a heap of broad-ranging ideas for ways the site could be used, and they all had their merits,'' Mr Inglis said.

A third resident, Phil Kebble, said the site could benefit all of Dunedin.

"It's right by the beach. You could hold school camps here,'' Mr Kebble said.

- by David Beck 

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