Blue Baths tenant frustrated another earthquake-prone Rotorua building that remains open

The blue doves at the end of November 2022. Photo by Mead Norton

Two buildings are located in Rotorua, less than 1 km apart. Both are prone to earthquakes, but only one is closed.

Jo Romanis, a former tenant of the now-closed Blue Baths, says she is confused and frustrated that nearby Pak’nSave can continue operating while the heritage building had to close.

The owner of Blue Baths, Rotorua Lakes Council, defended the decision to close, saying the risk of continued use was unacceptable.

The building was closed to the public in January 2021 after a detailed seismic assessment found structural integrity concerns. Achieved 15 per cent of the New Building Standard (NBS).

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The Pak’nSave building is also 15 percent NBS and still open, with a notice from October stating it is earthquake-prone on display in store. Plans to develop the building were underway, and it had received advice from seismologists that it could remain open in the meantime.

Pak’nSave Rotorua has an EPB notice in its window. Photography / Laura Smith

Department of Business, Innovation and Employment guidance, released in July, said there was no legal requirement to close a building based solely on a low NBS rating.

“An NBS rating is not indicative of a building failure in an earthquake, and buildings with low NBS ratings are not an imminent hazard,” Director of Building Performance and Engineering Dr. Dave Genesis said in a statement.

“Understanding the relative vulnerability of the various building elements, the potential consequences of failure of these elements, and the options to mitigate this risk is more important than the overall NBS rating for a building.”

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Building owners can remain on site while seismic remediation works are planned, financed and executed.

Former Blue Baths tenant Jo Romanes. Photo/Med Norton

Romanes said she has an action plan aimed at revitalizing the Blue Baths and growing their business while addressing seismic issues.

She said the plan has been approved by the council and has structural and geotechnical engineers working on it, with a transitional lease for a Category 1 heritage building while the proposal is explored. The proposal did not extensively cover seismic issues.

In 2020, engineers submitted a report that found foundation issues.

The council completed its seismic assessment when Roman applied for supplier approval.

“The rest is history, really,” she said. The Romanes’ lease officially expired last month.

The council’s detailed seismic assessment found that the building was compromised by ground conditions, as much of the underlying soil beneath the site was likely to have been liquefied in the earthquake. This can lead to the failure of the foundation system and, as a result, the structure above, “which could fail miserably.”

Romanis said repairing the damage associated with the leaking pond and subsequent problems with water collection was estimated to cost between $4 million and $6 million.

It estimated the cost of the upgrade and facelift to bring the building to an operable level would cost about $12 million, excluding the more extensive seismic repair and escalation cost.

When asked if Romanes thought the board had upheld his responsibility as owner, she said it had done some maintenance, but said there was a lack of thinking and planning for the “big picture” for the future.

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Food spokeswoman Emma Wooster said Pak’nSave takes the safety of customers and teams very seriously.

“Each year, the North Island Food Co-op invests approximately $100 million in our buildings and in the transformation of our locally owned and operated co-op stores. This transformation work includes making sure that our buildings comply with earthquake requirements.”

She had applied for council approval to modernize the Rotorua building.

The application included seismic strengthening works, roof replacement and interior improvements such as new refrigeration units and new inspections.

“The store has been assessed by earthquake experts, and the advice we have been given is that the store can remain open in the meantime.”

Buildings that have been identified as earthquake-prone by regional authorities such as the Rotorua Lakes Council should be added to the MBIE register.

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The Blue Baths are not yet listed, and a council spokesperson said the process of identifying earthquake-prone buildings was continuing, with four years remaining to complete the work.

Pak’nSave Rotorua was on the list and had until 2047 to do earthquake work. In areas with medium-level seismic risk such as Rotorua, building owners on non-priority buildings have 25 years to finish the work.

In response to Romanis’ comments and concerns, the council’s Executive Vice President of Regulatory Enablement, Thomas Cooley, said the decision to close the Blue Baths was taken under the council’s seismic policy and risk reduction framework for council buildings.

It applies to all council-owned buildings accommodating staff and/or the public which could present a health and safety risk due to a seismic event.

Under the policy, buildings assessed to be less than 34 per cent NBS will be moved or reinforced to meet the target level of reinforcement. In this case, the decision was to close the building.

“The council has legal obligations to staff and public safety, and we take these responsibilities very seriously.

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“We do not take decisions to lightly close council buildings, but given all the information we have, we consider the risk of allowing continued use of the building, in its present condition, to be unacceptable.

“Our responsibilities for public safety are always the primary consideration, and this is balanced by expert information and advice, the likelihood of something like an earthquake happening and the potential consequences of that. The same level of consideration applies to the potential for reopening.”

blue bathrooms. Photo/Med Norton

When asked what work needed to be done for the building to be considered safe enough, he said at a minimum it would require it to be above 33 per cent NBS, after which he would do more work to investigate options to achieve 67 per cent or more.

We do not know at the moment what work is required. We expect the future of the blue baths to be part of the next long-term plan cycle.”

He said the cost of the work is unknown.

As for Romanis’ business plans, which she said include seismic issues, Cooley said the board supported the proposal and approval for the resources was submitted in early June 2020, subject to a final detailed seismic assessment.

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“A detailed seismic assessment and geotechnical reports were completed for the council at the end of the transitional lease, long after the business proposal had been submitted and resources had been approved.

The business proposal did not address the issues identified later in [assessment]No information has been shared with us on how to address seismic problems.”

He said there had been ongoing discussions with Romanis and he was glad to meet again.

He said regular checks and maintenance to ensure the building maintains its fitness order is ongoing.

Romanes said a meeting took place last Tuesday between Rotorua Mayor Tanya Tapsell and Rotorua Deputy Mayor Sandra Kai-fung and Cooley to discuss the future of the building.

She said it went well and she was encouraged by what was said. She was informed that the council members requested that the subject be included in the next council meeting.

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Cooley said the matter was not on the agenda for the council meeting, but elected members will be briefed next week.

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