PORS decisions made

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 374, 19 February 1991, Page 8

PORS decisions made

by

dennis

beytagh

At last week's meeting of the PORS (Preservation of the Ohakune Railway Station) committee several decisions were 1 taken following an inspection of the station buildings and environs by the group earlier in the evening. .

The inspection revealed that a lot had already been done to protect and restore the building since it was acquired by PORS from NZ Rail late last year. These protective measures and temporary repairs, all carried out by voluntary workers in their own time and without payment, included • The boarding up of all windows with wooden shutters to prevent further damage to existing window panes. • The securing of all doors to deny access to unauthorized persons. • The painting of substantial sections of the exterior wall of the building - including the entire length of wall facing the platform - with undercoat in preparation for a final coat once a colour scheme has been agreed. • The repair of damage to a small section of floor inside the building where a fire last year had caused about a square metre of floorboards and joists to be burnt out. • The patching of potholes on the platform surface and approach road with asphalt. In addition to these protective and restorative measures a start has been made with landscaping the area with the planting of native shrubs. Also, it was pleasing to note NZ Rail have now restored the platform lights which are automatically activated when a train approaches at night. It was also noted that both the station building itself and the former railway supervisor's of-, fice nearby (which PORS has also acquired) are in a very sound structural condition though a lot of interior surface renovation and decoration work will have to be carried out before either building can be used. As a result of last week's inspection the following decisions were made by the PORS committee; • To commission a survey of both buildings in order to prepare plans and see what space and facilities (plumbing, power etc) are available so that projected uses for the buildings can be

studied in more detail. • To establish a museum of railways memorabillia in one or other of the buildings (depending on the survey, above). This will be in addition to the outdoor display of larger railway equipment to the south of the Main Trunk line and between the two buildings. • To provide some sort of information service (initially perhaps just a static information board) for rail travellers or others in the Junction area who may want to know about railway and bus timetables, amenities and accommodation in town, restaurants, motels etc (Note; this information service is not intended to supplant but rather to supplement the Ruapehu Visitors and Information Centrc in town for those whose first point of contact was the Junction area) • To provide some sort of basic catering facility at the station for those arriving or leaving by train, for those waiting to meet passengers, for those visiting the railway museum (see above) or starting and terminating their Heritage Trail walks at the nearby Ranger Station, for those living and working in the Junction area, and to provide early morning meals for those who travel overnight to reach the skifield at the start of the day during the ski season. • To provide some sort of basic dairy facility for all the above reasons but also for the many permanent residents (some of whom do not have their own vehicles) who live in the Junction area throughout the year. It was noted that with the state of NZ Rail property (the former railway yards) for housing development, the need for a 'local dairy' would increase. • To seek the cooperation of the King Country Electric Power Board in providing better general lighting in the area of the railway station and road leading to it. • To accept the offer from the Ohakune Garden Club to help with the landscaping of the

PORS decisions

From page 8 station environs. • To provide bench type seats on the platform. • To provide space within either of the two buildings (depending on the survey) for the Waimarino Art Society in return for assistance with renovations. • To look at the possibility of providing low-cost accommodation in the former railway supervisor's office during the ski season in order to obtain some revenue to help cover the cost of renovations. • To contact the appropriate authorities (Ruapehu District Council, Health Dept etc) to ascertain the require-

ments for any of the above projects (tearooms, dairy, accommodation etc). • To investigate the availability of labour through various employment and community development schemes to assist with the renovation work. To investigate the availability of funds through the Ruapehu South Business Association (RSBA), The Community Employment Development Unit (CEDU) and the Ruapehu District Council. • To submit an article to "Rails" magazine to keep railway enthusiasts in New Zealand and overseas informed about the PORS groups efforts

to preserve this historical feature. ® And, finally, to press ahead with currcnt renovation work using volunteers and students from Ruapehu College so as to get both the railway station building itself and the nearby supervisoi s office to a stage where they can become attractive, functional and useful buildings once again and thus preserve something of Ohakune's historical heritage. Anyone wishing to help out by contributing time or materials towards this project areinvited to contact Bob Norling (58286/58700) or Graham Parker (58337/58398)