The hail storm on Boxing Day blanketed Motueka.
Hollier said the extent of the damage was minimised by the prompt actions of Motueka resident Mark Wentworth and other people – mainly hall users – who moved chairs, a piano and other items from the damaged storage room into the main hall and then cleaned and dried out the hall, supper room and furnishings over the ensuing days.
An insurance claim to the value of about $70,000 was accepted to replace the ceilings in the affected areas, and repair the electrical and fire systems.
At a council operations committee meeting last week, community development manager Susan Edwards said the council should be grateful for the $400,000 in Government funding it received towards work on halls in the district, part of which went towards a $100,000 project to replace part of the roof on the Motueka Recreation Centre.