Excitement is mounting as the construction start date in the $4.85M Luggate Memorial Hall inches closer.

“The community is very excited about having this new state-of-the art facility right here in town,” Luggate Community Association (LCA) chair Graeme Perkins said as he described construction work set to begin in February 2021.

Since the closure of the old hall, the Luggate community has used the fire station and more recently the QLDC moved a relocatable building onto the Hopkins Street Reserve as an interim facility until the new hall is completed around October 2021.

The fully-accessible temporary facility was opened for community use just over a year ago in November 2019 and has been redecorated and refitted on-site with new services, including a kitchen and two bathrooms in addition to the main function space.

“The temporary hall is being well used in the meantime,” Graeme said.

Luggate’s temporary hall, on the Hopkins Street reserve, was opened last year and is well used. PHOTO: Wanaka App

He said the LCA created a ‘hall account’ a couple of years ago with deposits from private donations and local fundraising initiatives which will go towards furnishing and outfitting the new building once construction is complete.

“We’ve had good donations accumulating here,” he said. “Suffice to say, Luggate is really happy the hall is coming together.”

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) property director Richard Pope said the project is making good progress.

The new Luggate Memorial Hall will be a certified passive build, requiring 75 per cent less energy to heat it - a first for a community building in this district.

“This is a unique opportunity to replace a much-loved community building with a new one that incorporates up-to-date design and environmental building practices,” Richard said. 

In September this year the plans were revealed to locals and elected members. Graeme said the Passive House standard design and panelised timber panel construction set the project apart from other community buildings around the country.

"This is potentially a first for New Zealand and certainly something about which the people of Luggate can feel very proud,” he said. “We are a growing but very tight-knit community and having such an environmentally-sensitive building as the permanent replacement for the old hall will mean a lot for current and future residents.”

The project budget is estimated at $4.85M with substantial grants provided by Central Lakes Trust ($750,000) and the Otago Community Trust ($400,000) and $1M controversially allocated from the Wanaka Asset Sale Reserve, a fund which originated with the proceeds of the sale of public land at Scurr Heights in 2016. 

The old hall, built in 1954, closed in 2017 after not meeting the required standards in a detailed seismic assessment. 

The 240m2 hall on the main Luggate Highway hosted a range of events, from weddings and funerals, to parties, dinners, drama and even dog training. The hall also served as a memorial for local soldiers who died during the World Wars, Graeme said.