Kaipara District Council has closed off parts of the Northern Wairoa War Memorial Hall (Dargaville Town Hall) at 37 Hokianga Road after an air quality test revealed mould in elevated levels in various parts of the building relating to ongoing water egress. Although no toxic mould was detected, prolonged exposure by those with respiratory concerns means it’s best for the worst affected areas to remain closed until the issues can be addressed. The majority of the complex will remain open for the public to book and use.

The closed off areas are;

• the backstage area of the stage, including changing rooms, entrance to hallway and stage curtains, and,
• the corridor between the main Hall and the ‘cinema toilets’.

The entire complex will be remediated with specialised surface cleaners and HEPA vacuum cleaners.

Ongoing maintenance and air quality testing will continue after the remediation process is completed. The conference room carpet will be removed and replaced with hard flooring and will remain closed until the end of October. There will be workers on site at various times to secure these locations and complete work on the conference room. Dates of these closures will be publicised once confirmed (for regular updates please check kaipara.govt.nz).

Council staff are working with those who have prior bookings for the Town Hall to discuss their requirements and the options available to them.

The ANZAC Theatre will continue to operate, however during some periods of construction, there may be a change to the schedule (for more information on the ANZAC Theatre please visit anzactheatre.co.nz).

Work is planned to start as soon as possible, with most of it to be completed by November 2020. There will be ongoing investigations into long term remediation and solutions for the Hall.