Will an Invercargill 'lighting and sculpture trail' get the green light?
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has pushed to develop a lighting and sculpture trail that would link the Ōtepuni Gardens and other areas of Invercargill’s central city.
It’s been suggested $100,000 be put aside to scope out a potential lighting and sculpture trail which will take in the Ōtepuni Gardens in Invercargill.
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has pushed to develop a lighting and sculpture trail that would link the Ōtepuni Gardens and other areas of Invercargill’s central city.
Clark included the trail idea as part of his election campaign.
He stated the following leading up to October’s election: “I would develop a loop walking trail from Kmart, up the Otepuni Stream with night lighting, along Queens Drive past the umbrella and other artwork, past the Water Tower (also lit at night), down Gala St and into Queens Park (trees lit up like Matariki for 2 hours after dusk every night), then back through the inner city with historic buildings displayed at night with up lighting and back into the inner city where we will have two new hotels (ILT Langlands and Destination Hotel in 2023).”
A report, put together by Invercargill City Council strategy and policy manager Rhiannon Suter on the long-term plan’s strategic projects, says the trail project is new and would need to be scoped.
It is separate from the request for city centre beautification work which the council made in February, Suter says.
The report says the Ōtepuni Gardens is a complex environment for construction given its role within the Ōtepuni catchment as a flood plain for the waterway.
It’s been recommended that $100,000 be allocated in 2024/2025 for scoping.
The scoping work would outline the options and costings for what the project could look like.
For an indication of scale, a trail of five sculptures is likely to cost at least $500,000, an estimate based on the work done as part of the umbrella relocation, Suter says.
Clark has also previously publicly stated he would like to see a ‘beach’ area introduced by the Ōtepuni Stream.
It would be near the new community arts space not far from Kmart it’s said HWR Group’s Scott O’Donnell would sort the estimated 4000 tonnes of sand required.
The idea to develop a walking trail comes at a time when the council is grappling with many other projects as part of its long-term plan.
Suter’s report says that the council gave direction at the start of its planning for 2024-2034 that it wished to focus on delivering what is already planned rather than on delivering new projects.
Other strategic projects in the long-term plan include the museum, Rugby Park and Surrey Park upgrades, an additional pool at Splash Palace, Water Tower strengthening work, the Arts & Creativity Invercargill development, the Bluff boat ramp, car park and toilet project, as well as Wachner Place / City Streets Stage 2 work.
When the 2021-2031 long-term plan was formed Audit New Zealand labelled it ambitious given the amount of work that was laid out by the Invercargill City Council.
The primary constraint identified was deliverability, in terms of contractors, rather than affordability.
Suter’s report says deliverability will continue to be a challenge, however as a result of the volatile economic environment, affordability will now also be a significant challenge.
“Inflation, asset revaluation, interest rates and labour market constraints are combining to mean that the cost of delivering projects and the ability of the council to service debt are reducing affordability.”
The long-term strategic projects report will be discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday.