Tasman eyes arts centre plan cautiously

BY CHARLES ANDERSON

Nelson City Council representatives sat down with their Tasman counterparts yesterday hoping to convince them to back financially the proposed $28 million regional performing arts centre.

City councillors and staff made a presentation at the Tasman District Council chambers in Richmond to explain the controversial project and to answer questions on potential joint funding.

City council technical services senior executive Alec Louverdis outlined the project's proposed $28m cost and a worst-case ongoing-cost scenario of $3.8m each year if the centre did not make any income.

Submissions on the project close next Tuesday with public hearings between December 1 and 4. About 280 submissions have been received so far.

Mr Louverdis said a report would then be taken to the council to make a decision.

"It's not a done deal. We wanted to hear from all parties."

The proposed location for the centre is next to Nelson's Rutherford Hotel on a 3662 square metre site. The site is owned by Rutherford Holdings, which the city council plans to buy for $4.2m. As part of the conditions of the draft sale and purchase agreement, it is being proposed that Rutherford Holdings will contribute to the project by providing a conference centre as an extension to the existing hotel.

Nelson Mayor Kerry Marshall told district councillors there was no expectation from the meeting but if the presentation managed to seduce the TDC into offering financial assistance, it would not be turned down. District councillor Gordon Currie said there was very little money in council coffers to put toward something like the performing arts centre. He said the situation was only going to get tighter and it would be ratepayers who suffered. "How are people going to afford a massive increase in rates?"

Mr Marshall said the performing arts centre was crucial for the region.

"This is just part of the big picture, we are putting some eggs in one basket if we can pull it off. We feel the wider com-munity needs the facility." District councillor Jack Inglis thought it was surprising the city council did not come to the meeting with definite figures of how much the arts centre was likely to make. Mr Louverdis said the city council did not know what the potential income would be because it had not spoken to groups that might use the centre. "This is not a business plan, it is a statement of proposal."

District councillor Michael Higgins disputed there was any value to the Tasman district in terms of how much money might flow back into the local economy.

Nelson Deputy Mayor Rachel Reese said people who came to Nelson often travelled around the Tasman district and it was realistic to think that would be the same for conferences.

Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne said with any expectation of funding from the TDC there would need to be more than just anecdotal comments about economic benefits. "It would need to be quantified in some rational way."

Ms Reese said the two councils needed to have a "live discussion" about the way ongoing operation costs were managed in regional facilities.

Mr Kempthorne said a staff report would be filed to answer any questions raised by the possibility of joint funding but it was likely the TDC would lodge a submission on the project after the deadline had closed. "We have to have time for our discussion so that can't be shortened."

The final feature in the series on the performing arts centre will appear in tomorrow's Nelson Mail and will explore issues around cost and affordability.

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