Council staff are making good progress on the plans for the Leys Library and Gymnasium restoration and seismic strengthening.
There have been temporary works carried out on the roof, along with asbestos removal and preparation works for the main construction.
Friends of Leys Institute and St Mary’s Bay Association representatives and Pippa Leys from the Leys family had a recent tour through the buildings with council and library staff.
We were shown through the empty spaces and given an indication of the changes proposed for the buildings.
Project managers Reza Jafazadeh and John Cheah outlined the timetable for the project. Resource consent has been obtained, and the building consent is imminent.
The tenders for construction will go out in July, with a view to having works start in September. Detailed building plans are nearly finalised.
Project completion and reopening of the library is scheduled for 2028.
We hope that there are no hiccups before we see work actually starting on our precious heritage buildings.
Helen Geary
Friends of Leys Institute Co-ordinator
helen@geary.nz, 021 208 7490
