New Ovens will Boost Town Hall's Usage

New user-friendly fan forced electric ovens are to be installed in the Northern Wairoa War Memorial Hall (Dargaville Town Hall) to make catering easier and further boost the hall’s growing popularity as a venue for functions.

They will replace existing gas fired stoves which have been criticised by some users who perceive them as temperamental and difficult to operate and say lack of a fan forced oven makes catering difficult for the large groups the hall is capable of accommodating.

In considering its options Kaipara District Council contacted professional caterers, people who had used the kitchen during the past 12 months plus users who were believed to have had problems. Some groups which had not used the facility were also contacted to see if the kitchen facilities were a factor in this.

Comment included professionals saying the gas ovens were first rate but the lack of fan forcing limited the quantities of food that could be cooked without constant rearranging. They also suggested the ovens were more suited to professional than community use.

On Wednesday 28 January 2009 Council agreed to replace the gas cookers with fan forced electric ovens capable of cooking for 300 people when used in conjunction with the other equipment available in the hall. The gas stoves will be sold to the highest bidder.

Audrey Kermode, who has used the kitchen a number of times, believes the change is “a really good move.

“The gas stoves might be okay if you are working with them all the time but the general public finds them hard to use. The hall needs equipment people can come in off the street and feel comfortable with” she says.

“Electric fan forced ovens will be quicker and easier to use and also are the sort of technology people have in their own homes.”

Council expects the new stoves to further boost public use of the Town Hall which, under management of the library staff, has increased steadily from 264 bookings in 2005/2006 to 347 in 2007/2008.

In other moves to make the hall more attractive and encourage greater use Council recently agreed to purchase an extra 20 tables to avoid the need for organisers of large functions to arrange their own to supplement the hall’s supply.

 

Council is also looking for other ideas to improve catering facilities as part of the 2009/19 Kaipara’s Future - Working Together Long Term Council Community Plan community consultation in March.

For more information contact Stakeholder Engagement Manager Claire Lichtwark-McInnes on 09 439 7059 or 0800 72 7059