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The Invercargill City Council wants to spend $ 52 million to strengthen and renovate the museum at its current site in Queens Park. [File photo].
The Invercargill City Council’s preferred option is to spend $ 52.2 million to strengthen and restore the museum at its current site in Queens Park.
The council announced Monday that councilors had considered a report outlining all options to reopen a museum and discussed which option they preferred.
Five options were established, from a spending of $ 25.3 million to bring it up to the minimum requirement of 34 percent of the National Building Standard, to a completely new building estimated at $ 85.5 million.
“By choosing the option we have, it will be affordable for the City Council. Instead of having further delays, we will be able to start work next year, if the community supports our proposed option, “said Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt.
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Councilors agreed to ask the community as part of the Long Term Plan process if they support the strengthening and restoration of the museum at its current site at an estimated cost of $ 52.2 million.
The building that housed the Southland Museum and Art Gallery was closed in 2018 due to security concerns after it was deemed prone to earthquakes.
Infrastructure Services Committee Chair Ian Pottinger said the report, discussed at a committee meeting on Dec. 1, was a fantastic in-depth look at all the options for the museum’s future.
“Those options ranged from the bare minimum of ‘patch it up and move on’ to completely new construction, similar to one of the options in Tim Walker’s report,” he said.
Councilors felt strongly that the bare minimum was not really an option. It would not be fair to our community, as it would not prepare the building for the future or honor the collection it contains. “
Southland Museum and Art Gallery Trust performance, policy and partnerships committee chairman and board chair Darren Ludlow said being clear about who owned the museum building had made things easier, and the council was happy to take full responsibility for the project.
“We are also fortunate to have the fantastic He Waka Tuia open. There is a cultural heart in the city with a talented staff displaying our heritage from this transitional museum space. “
Deputy Mayor Nobby Clark said that if the community agreed to the proposed path forward, he was delighted that the council could move quickly to get the work started.
“In this LTP, the council members wanted to make sure that we put a greater emphasis on heritage, arts and culture than in previous LTPs,” he said.
The trustees had thoroughly discussed what their preferred option would be and considered broader budget needs as part of those discussions, he said.
“We felt this was the best long-term option and it will save us from having to visit it again in 15-20 years.”
“While we have indicated that option C is our preferred option, it will be subject to public consultation as part of the LTP.
“We wanted to make sure we could get to work as soon as possible, and Option C will allow us to do that with the city’s broader budget in mind,” Clark said.
“We are united in our approach, in the sense that we want the community to be able to enjoy their museum once again, safely and with the collection protected.”
THE OPTIONS
- Minimum renovation (34 percent of the national construction standard): $ 25.3 million, term of 27 months.
- Minimum renewal (67 percent of NBS) – Cost of $ 26.6 million, term of 37 months.
- Total renewal (67 percent of NBS): cost of $ 52.5 million, term of 37 months.
- New construction, existing floor area: $ 75.4 million cost, 48 month term.
- New construction, expanded floor area: cost of $ 85.5 million, term of 48 months.
