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The Warkworth Bridge Club has lobbied successfully for a new, and longer, lease on its clubrooms at 2 Alnwick Street.
Club representatives asked the Rodney Local Board for a 25-year lease, promising to spend significant funds to improve the Council-owned building if the longer lease was granted. The improvements would include external and internal painting, installation of a new kitchen, new carpet, an upgrade of the toilet to provide access for people with a disability, and a more user-friendly layout.
However, officers recommended that the lease be extended for only five years with one right of renewal for five years, starting on August 1, in accordance with Auckland Council guidelines. The recommendation also included an early termination clause to allow for stage three of the Warkworth Town Hall and future growth in Warkworth.
But, Board chair Beth Houlbrooke said there was no plan to proceed with stage three of the town hall in the foreseeable future. She said the club needed the longer lease to justify its investment in the improvements.
“The club is encouraging other groups to utilise the clubrooms so the renovations will benefit the whole community,” she said.
On Ms Houlbrooke’s recommendation, the Board agreed to grant the club a 10-year lease, with two right of renewals of five years each and the early termination clause will only apply to the right of renewal years. The rent was set at $1 a year, plus an annual maintenance fee of $500.
The Warkworth Bridge Club was established 50 years ago and currently has 132 members. It has occupied the present site for the past 23 years and originally shared the lease with the Mahurangi
Senior Citizens Association. However, the association surrendered its interest in the joint arrangement in June.
