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The hunt is on for commercial operators to lease the cinema, cafe, and catering kitchen inside Cromwell’s multimillion-dollar events centre slated to open next year.
The Central Otago District Council will ask for expressions of interest to run the spaces after agreement to do so was reached at a full meeting of the council yesterday.
During discussions, Cromwell councillor and deputy mayor Neil Gillespie said he did not think the move would ‘‘come as a surprise’’.
‘‘When you look at the cost of running this thing ... you’ve got to offset those costs in some way, shape or form,’’ Cr Gillespie said.
While the construction costs for the new facility on the site of the former Cromwell Memorial Hall in Melmore Tce overlooking the Kawarau Arm of Lake Dunstan are budgeted at $45.8 million, earlier in the year council staff indicated annual operating costs for the facility once opened could be as high as $2.3m.
The invitation for interested commercial operators to make themselves known, with the council adopting a ‘‘broad’’ scope for who such operators could be, had already been approved by members of the Cromwell Community Board, with chair Anna Harrison speaking to the council agenda item via computer link yesterday.
She said the directive to the board from the community had been clear.
‘‘The Cromwell community have repeatedly told us ... they want [this venue] to be open, accessible and available to the community, and I know that presents a challenge because this is going to be a district ... asset.’’
She said what that costs the ratepayers, and what that costs facility users, would be up for discussion.
Vincent ward councillor Martin McPherson also spoke in support of the proposal
yesterday, saying ‘‘councils shouldn’t be involved in cafes’’.
‘‘You need to leave the professionals to these sorts of things.’’
However, those around the decision-making table did confirm Cr McPherson could ‘‘whip up’’ an acceptable cheese scone.
In response to the concern being raised by some councillors, council community experience manager David Scoones confirmed a commercial lease of the kitchen space would not necessarily exclude use of the space by community groups.
‘‘It could be that someone comes in and bakes croissants at 4am, when other people aren't using it.’’
