Gallery won't open till 2013

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The Christchurch Art Gallery will not reopen until the middle of next year, gallery director Jenny Harper says.

She said engineering reports indicated the gallery's structure had performed well in the earthquakes.

However, some secondary structural elements, such as the glass facade, and some ceilings and fittings had sustained damage.

The way the building and its car park had settled was also the subject of further engineering analysis, she said.

Engineers were still investigating options for repairs and were working with the Christchurch City Council's insurers.

Recommendations were expected to go to the council for consideration in June, she said.

"Due to the extent and the complexity of the likely repair work, it has become clear that the gallery will not be able to reopen as early as we had hoped," Harper said.

"Even after council approval for the work is gained, it is likely to take nine months for repairs to be completed and three months to relocate the collections and install new exhibitions both upstairs and down," she said.

Harper expected the gallery would reopen in mid-2013.

That was later than the gallery would like, and staff shared the disappointment over the delay with its supporters, she said.

Harper said the gallery was looking for an alternative exhibition space.

The gallery was considering the Centre for Contemporary Art, next door to its current site.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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john Mayhew   #2   01:05 pm Jan 28 2012

Rates will never come down because those in charge have indoctrinated this idea that everything MUST go up, up ,up. This enables all the overinflated pay rises, pet projects, junkets abroad [work ? haha] and wasteful spending to continue unabated without much chance of meanful protest. The truth is rates could easily come down by 50 or 100% with just a few savings here and there. But nobody in Council will spend even 5 minutes considering it. Roll on Wednesday 1st ! Maybe. Just maybe ?

Murray Simmonds   #1   09:55 am Jan 28 2012

Ah, so, this means that the portion of our rates that has in the past been struck for the provision of the Christchurch Art Gallery will be WIPED from our rates demands until 2013, does it?

I'll miss the gallery - but I won't miss the bill!

(But then, I won't hold my breath, either).

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