Fountain options to be studied

Water may start flowing again from the historic Craig Fountain in the Oamaru Gardens, but first a project to take the fountain apart and investigate options to strengthen, restore and reassemble it will have to be approved.

The fountain, constructed in Italian marble with an Oamaru stone base, was one of two fountains given to the town in 1912 by James Craig, founder of the firm James Craig and Co Timber Merchants.

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust category 2-listed fountain had extensive work carried out on it in 1990 after parts wore out and vandalism had damaged it over the years.

However, the fountain leaked and was turned off during the 1990s and has not flowed since.

In the council's draft 2015-25 Long Term Plan, two options are being considered: to disassemble the Craig Fountain to investigate the options, or leave it as it is.

The council's preferred option is to investigate the options, which is likely to cost about $30,000.

There would be no impact on rates, as the project would be funded from a special reserve.

Recreation manager Erik van der Spek said it was impossible to accurately determine the best solution to strengthen and reinstate the fountain until it was in pieces.

Once it was disassembled, there were ''no guarantees'' the fountain could be restored to working condition or that it could be reassembled in a manner that would comply with building consent requirements without external support, he said.

If it could not be reassembled, the council would work with the community to store it and replace it with a new feature.

Ratepayers have an opportunity to give feedback on the proposed options by making submissions on the draft 2015-25 long term plan.

• Submissions on the long term plan close on April 24 and can be made online at www.waitaki.govt.nz.

rebecca.ryan@odt.co.nz

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