Gore District Council reveals $6m new office building

Friday, 29 January 2021

Gore District Council staff will move into the new office building early next week.

There was a hive of activity at the Gore District Council’s new offices on Friday morning as contractors finished off work in time for the public to visit at 4pm.

Some painting was still being completed, art work being hung and furniture moved in preparation for the open day, held before council staff moved into the new space on Monday and Tuesday.

Council human resources manager Susan Jones said staff were looking forward to moving in.

“We’ve had really positive feedback from them, and they’re really excited about the move.

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Office space on the second floor of the Gore District Council's new office building.

“When you think back to what the old building was like, it’s amazing to have all of this.’’

There are seven meeting rooms, five for staff and public use, and two interview rooms in the new foyer, where there are two kiosks for customers to access the council’s online services and check their property records, Jones said.

Heritage projects officer John Dennison hangs a painting in the foyer of the new Gore District Council office building.

The new building is 210m² larger than the original offices and will accommodate 45 staff on two floors.

The council chamber remained in the same space but had a complete overhaul, with new audio-visual equipment.

The staffroom in the Gore District Council's new office building.

“It will have a different feeling to it and the tech will mean everyone will be able to hear and see what is going on,’’ Jones said.

Some features of the building include audiovisual systems in all the meeting rooms, air conditioning and ergonomic furniture.

Upstairs there were offices for mayor Tracy Hicks and the council’s management team, open-plan work spaces for staff and a staff tearoom area.

District curator Jim Geddes said artwork in the new building had come from the Eastern Southland Gallery collection.

“We’ll be rotating the artwork, and it all has a local connection,’’ he said.

Council chief executive Steve Parry said the forecast final cost was $6.02 million, which was about $20,000 over budget. The project will be funded by loan. The cost to ratepayers is currently 77cents per ratepayer a year.

“As with any major renovation project there are some unforeseen items absorbed into the budget.

“However, there have been a few genuine extras we’ve requested, such as duress alarms for staff safety and technology for the chambers,’’ Parry said.

Construction has taken 12 months, which is about six weeks longer than expected because of last year’s Covid-19 restrictions. Parry said Covid-19 had been one of the biggest challenges, causing supply chain issues for specialist materials.

The council will welcome its first customers into the new building on Wednesday, and it will be officially opened in March.