$310,000 bill to save 40% of causeway

Saving 40% of the historic causeway under the Wall Street development in Dunedin will cost as much as saving it all - $310,000 - and the city could be set to pay for similar finds in future.

A full meeting of the Dunedin City Council this week voted 12-3 to spend the money anyway, after hearing it was the price Dunedin would have to pay if it wanted to be known as a heritage city.

The money would not come from rates, but would be paid for by contingency funding for the project, though the council was also hoping to get outside funding.

In June, a rough pedestrian causeway made from manuka and kanuka was discovered about 1.3m below ground at the council's $34 million development in George St.

The causeway is believed to be one of the earliest archaeological remains of European settlement in Dunedin.

The original plan was to encase the causeway in glass - at a cost of $310,000 - as the council was required by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust to preserve it, but that plan was shelved last week after more than half the logs were found to be rotten.

A report to the meeting from project manager Dave McKenzie, of management company Zelko NZ Ltd, said wood conservation specialist Dilys Johns, of Auckland University, had taken core samples of the wood and found up to 60% had deteriorated significantly.

"Hence, in-situ preservation and display of the total causeway is not a viable option."

To comply with the trust's archaeological regulations, the remaining logs, which are sitting in a skip filled with water, would be brought back to Wall Street and reassembled under glass near their original position.

"Cost of the site preservation and display is still expected to be around $310,000," Mr McKenzie said in the report.

However, a major advantage would be that ongoing operation and maintenance costs of $15,000 a year for in-situ display would not be incurred, the new proposal expected to cost a yearly $1000 to $2000.

Council acting property manager Rhonda Abercrombie told the meeting that would cover costs such as cleaning and lighting.

Mrs Abercrombie said Mr McKenzie had been working with the trust, and the organisation was happy with the new option.

The causeway would be housed in the building's atrium.

Cr Paul Hudson expressed puzzlement over the trust's acceptance of the proposal, when it would not accept the former art gallery at Logan Park being moved to make way for the University Oval.

Mayor Peter Chin said "substantial funding" for the project was possible, an avenue he would continue to pursue.

Cr Richard Walls said the council would be "laughed at" for preserving what some had described as "a bunch of sticks", and suggested using a company such as Dunedin-based firm Animation Research to develop an audiovisual display.

Delays caused by dealing with the causeway had cost more than $310,000, and two tenants had been lost in the process, he said.

Council finance and corporate support general manager Athol Stephens told the meeting Wall Street was expected to open fully tenanted.

Cr Kate Wilson asked to be reassured the council was not setting a precedent by spending the money.

Mr Chin replied he could not give that reassurance.

If there was momentum to make Dunedin a heritage city, there would be pressure in future to fund similar projects.