A turn for the better

Debrin Foxcroft | 7th November 2009

Kevin Hodder and the North Shore Woodturning Guild have been hit with an expensive leak in the roof of their leased building. GARRY BRANDON

A leaky roof can create more than a puddle, as North Shore woodturners recently discovered. Debrin Foxcroft reports.

When it rains, it really pours. That's because the roof of the building at Agincourt Reserve leaks and it will take at least $2200 for the North Shore Woodturning Guild to fix the
problem.

For the small, not-for-profit society in Glenfield, the price of fixing the leak in the building it leases from North Shore City Council is too high.

The guild asked the council to pay for the repairs. But the council says the guild should pay for the work. So the group's president, Trefor Roberts, asked the Glenfield Community Board to help. The board has come to the rescue and agreed to pay.

Led by Nick Kearney, the community board has gone a step further. Mr Kearney queried the lease which says the leaseholders are responsible for maintenance of the building except for instances of "fair wear and tear''. Mr Kearney asked council officers to clarify  what is maintenance and what  it defines as "fair wear and tear''.

It all seems a little convoluted to the president of the woodturners.

"Don't get me wrong, we really do appreciate the building,'' says Mr Roberts. "I truly feel
privileged every time I come into it.''

Before the guild took over the lease in 2007, the hall on Agincourt Reserve was an abandoned scout hall.

The guild is unable to pay for the roof on top of the maintenance its members already carry out. They have replaced exterior lights, creating better visibility in the surrounding reserve, and put bars on lower windows for security.

"It would be good if the council had a fund to maintain the buildings that they own but lease out,'' says Mr Roberts. "Organisations that lease buildings could apply and council officers could decide if they are worthy.''

Mr Kearney says the community board has queried the lease, and what the council expects the guild to pay.

"I queried it because I'm a lawyer,'' he says. "We obtained a copy of the lease and it says it's the leaseholders' responsibility to maintain the building except for issues of fair wear and tear. If the roof leak is fair wear and tear, which some on the community board think it is, then it's the council's responsibility and the guild shouldn't have to be applying to the community board's discretionary funds.''

Mr Kearney says the guild contributes to the reserve and the community around it. The
woodturners produce toys for Women's Refuge as part of the "Pinocchio project'' and offer a weekly skills course for troubled North Shore adolescents.

"I was sceptical they should ever have gone near the grants committee,'' says Mr Kearney. "We have funded the repairs and will be looking into the issue further. If it's fair wear and tear then we will ask the council to reimburse us.''

The council's community liaison manager, Lisa Tocker says the details of leases depend on what is negotiated at the time of the contract.

"Some leases are arranged where the council is responsible for structural issues, others are such where it falls entirely on to the hands of the leaseowner.''

Council property officer, Maureen Buchanan says the council asked for expressions of interest to lease the building in 2006 based on the condition it was in. Interested parties were advised the property was being offered with the expectation that the successful group would upgrade the premises as part of the lease.

"We believe the North Shore Woodturners Guild has understood and accepted these terms,'' she says. "In light of this, the group has applied for a community grant to help cover the cost of the roof repair. This money has since been awarded under the community board's discretionary fund.''