CBD revamp costed at $6.6m

EVAN HARDING

The Invercargill City Council has predicted it will cost $6.6 million for the much-anticipated CBD upgrade, but the figure is far from set in stone.

The council's director of works and services, Cameron McIntosh, said yesterday the design for the upgrade was not finished, with the community still being consulted.

However, the council had to make an estimate for the upgrade to put in its budgets for the long-term plan.

"We have got a total estimate for the work of somewhere in the order of $6.6 million, but it's very preliminary," he said.

About $1.2m was in existing council budgets, leaving a $5.4m shortfall.

City councillors would decide how to fund the project late this month, Mr McIntosh said.

Norman Elder, a city councillor and the boss of the CBD upgrade working group, said ratepayers would not bear the full brunt of the costs.

Transit New Zealand would pay to narrow Tay and Dee streets if the proposal went ahead, while community funders would be asked to fund other aspects of the upgrade such as seats and sculptures in Esk St and Wachner Place, "and they may also be interested in funding an arts and culture precinct".

The Government also had money available for arts and culture projects, Cr Elder said.

He favoured the city council borrowing money to pay its share of the CBD upgrade and paying it back over 10 years.

"Future generations should pay for the expenditure because they will get the benefit of the work."

Public consultation on the upgrade closes on February 29, when the working group will decide what work needs to be done.

"Then we will go into the design concept and I would like to see two or three different design people come back to us and show us what they can do, so we have got options," Cr Elder said.

He wanted one contractor to do the CBD upgrade work, saying it should take a year to complete.

The inner-city upgrade plans currently out for public feedback include introducing a public space in Esk St, improving Wachner Place, investigating proposals for a city-centre market space and reviewing the relocation of the Visitor Information Centre and Southland Museum and Art Gallery to the city centre.

Other projects being investigated include upgrading footpaths, upgrading furniture and lighting in Esk St, identifying and promoting business precincts, protecting and enhancing heritage buildings, looking at parking options, providing weather protection for pedestrians at traffic lights at the Tay and Dee street state highways and putting a right turn into Esk St for northbound traffic.

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