A report on the proposed replacement of the 99-year-old hall will be considered by the Cromwell Community Board at its meeting on Monday.
The Central Otago District Council owns the facility but the Bannockburn Community Centre management committee, which owns the nearby Bannockburn Church, handles bookings and maintains the grounds.
The hall was closed in March after an engineer's report revealed there was a high risk of complete failure of all its stone walls during a moderate earthquake.
The report, prepared because of plans to extend the facility, also said the parapets over the entrance were likely to break during a quake and could cause deaths or serious injuries.
Residents said a replacement hall should be built quickly, as the facility was used daily by community groups. One proposal was to build a replica hall.
In her report to the board, community facility officer Evelyn Bisset said the plans had been forwarded to the Bannockburn committee for comment.
The committee estimated the cost of construction at between $850,000 and $950,000 and suggested the community board contribute $225,000, the Bannockburn community $125,000, with the remainder coming from charitable trusts.
Mrs Bisset said it might be prudent to canvass the views of the wider Cromwell ward on the project, as ward ratepayers funded the operating costs of three local halls.
"... updated costs now indicate that the project could be in excess of $1 million," she said.
