Crossways Campaign Continues!

Direct negotiations are to begin this week between the Presbyterian Church and the Crossways Community Trust to see if a basis can be found for the Trust to purchase Crossways House, Mount Victoria’s popular community centre.

The Church says it needs to sell Crossways to raise funds for the earthquake proofing and refurbishment of St Andrews on the Terrace.

In order to delay the sale, the Wellington City Council brokered a three-way agreement with the Church and the Trust. The Council paid the Church compensation of $70,000 not to put the building on the market until October 2008. The Council will now step back to allow the Church and the Trust to deal directly with one another.

The Crossways Trust has so far raised $470,000, plus another $55,000 to fund campaign costs. Of the money raised, $450,000 is a flexible 5-year loan, interest free for at least three years, forgivable in whole or in part at the discretion of the donor. Last week the Council decided the nature of the loan required it to terminate the earlier three-way agreement because it felt it could only accept cash grants as being valid.

Crossways Community Trust Chair Bill Southworth said that while the Council’s decision was disappointing, it would have little impact on the ultimate outcome as the funding momentum, confidence levels and community resolve were all exceptionally strong.

“One of our first tasks will be to clearly explain to potential donors the reasons for the council’s decision and that it represents only a minor setback in the overall picture of things,” Mr Southworth said.

A group of city councillors have already stated their support of the Crossways campaign and their intention to continue discussion with the Crossways Trust once the purchase has been finalised.

Once the purchase of Crossways is finalised, the Trust will continue planning to convert the ground floor into a facility for the local crèche and kindergarten and the upstairs into purpose-built community meeting rooms.

(28 April 2008)