Titahi Bay’s US Marines Hall will be memorialised - and what size or shape this is likely to take will be informed by the public.
The hall, situated among the Whitehouse Rd shops, was closed in 2012 when it was a deemed a public safety risk due to severe structural issues. In 2013 it was also declared an earthquake risk.
In 2018 Porirua City Council unanimously voted that consent be sought for the building, built by US Marines when they camped in Titahi Bay in 1942, to be demolished. An independent hearing on this consent will be held later this year.
This consent process has been paused, however, while the Council engages with the community to seek views on what a memorial to what was there should look like, if the consent to demolish the building is granted.
Options could include using a piece of the building for a memorial, an information board, plaque, or something else.
"It is important we hear from the public," says Porirua Parks Operations Manager Mark Hammond.
"While consent has not yet been granted for demolition, we need to make preparations for that, and we want a memorial to what was here.
"This building represents a significant part of Titahi Bay’s history, from the US Marines using it as a recreational hall to latter use by Porirua Little Theatre - so we want a memorial to reflect its uses and value to the community."
In 2018, the Council’s estimate to upgrade or carry out a complete rebuild of the hall came in at $2 million.
Mr Hammond is hopeful a wide range of views on memorialising the hall can be collected, including from an established working group of community stakeholders.
There will be two drop-in sessions, on September 23 and 26, where the community can come and talk to Council staff and councillors, as well as a survey to gather comment and opinion. It is especially hoped that peoples’ memories of the good times they had in the Marines Hall can be captured as part of this process.
The survey will be running for the next two weeks - take it at the Marines Hall information page on the City Projects section of the Porirua City Council website.
The drop-in sessions, where you can talk to Council officers and councillors outside the hall, will be:
Wednesday 23 September, 3-5pm
Saturday 26 September, 1.30-3.30pm.
14 Sep 2020
