The fate of the old band hall in Crown Street remains uncertain, despite interest from the community in using the facility.
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In a comment piece published by the Tenterfield Star, Harry Bolton from Tenterfield Highlanders Pipe Band has written about their efforts in gaining use of the hall.
One problem they face is Tenterfield Shire Council has already agreed to move the hall to Leeches Gully.
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Two years ago the hall was deemed too expensive for the council to maintain, and unsafe for community use, which is still the case now.
The estimated repair bill was in the realm of $150,000 to $200,000 to bring it up to what's considered a serviceable level.
Since then it has been offered to the Showground Trust, but mayor Bronwyn Petrie said the council decided against that when the trust requested $200,000 from the council to take it and restore it. The council had offered $50,000 to cover the relocation.
Instead, Leeches Gully Progress Association approached the council, who in February last year agreed to move the hall there and pay the progress assocation $50,000 to cover the relocation cost. With that resolution already made by the council, Cr Petrie said the ball was now in the progress association's court.
"The Leeches Gully people have been in dealings with council staff and they're in the process of making arrangements to have it moved," Cr Petrie said.
But if the move does not go ahead, she suggested the hall could become Tenterfield's new tourism information centre.
That would require the council gaining grants to pay for the repairs so the hall was safe to use again, rather than the current arrangement where that is the responsbility of Leeches Gully Progress Assocation.
The most recent community group to use the hall was the Tenterfield Gem and Mineral Club, which was meeting there weekly before the pandemic. They reluctantly moved out when the hall was deemed unsafe to use.
The heritage-listed building was constructed in 1945 and Cr Petrie said it would remain somehwere in the shire.
"The building's not going to be demolished, we will appreciate the past history of it," Cr Petrie said.
