Construction of a building that will house the Cromwell i-Site, which was the subject of controversy over its proposed location and ownership, is under way.
The 168sq m building is located on the northern side of the Cromwell mall, facing Murray Tce, and will be leased by the Central Otago District Council.
Council community services manager Anne Pullar said if everything went to plan, it was hoped the i-Site would be relocated from the mall by Christmas. However, that depended on tradespeople.
Wanaka-based Calder Developments, which was responsible for construction, would ''hand over'' the building in early November and the council would complete the interior.
Ms Pullar said the i-Site team was very excited about moving and the opportunities provided by the location of the building.
The new i-Site would provide the same services as before.
Last December, the council decided not to build an i-Site building next to the big fruit sculpture on State Highway 8B.
Members of the community raised concerns about the costs of constructing or leasing a new building, the new location's visibility from SH8B, and the separation of the i-Site and the Cromwell museum.
The museum, which shared a building with the i-Site, will remain in its present location in the mall.
Council properties and facilities manager Mike Kerr said its owners, when approached by council about leasing it, indicated they had designs for it and were seeking commercial tenants.
Calder Developments operations manager Nick Calder declined to say who owned the building.
