The project will combine and develop the North Otago Museum, the Forrester Gallery and the Waitaki District Archive at the Forrester Gallery, which will be extended at the back.
Cultural Facilities Development Advisory Committee chairman Hugh Perkins was thrilled the workshops were well attended.
‘‘We had very well-informed and engaged stakeholders at all of the workshops, so there was plenty of interesting and robust discussion,'' Mr Perkins said.
‘‘The feedback they gave us will go a long way in helping us determine what the new facility will offer,'' he said.
The workshops were an opportunity to discuss a vision and uses for the new facility, prioritise the themes and topics people wanted to focus on, and review the development of the draft architectural drawings..
‘‘We are grateful to the people who made the commitment to attend the workshops,'' he said.
Wider public consultation would take place early next year, using the priorities identified by the workshops as a basis for discussion.
‘‘Getting ideas and feedback from the community is crucial in helping us create a facility the community and visitors to the district will spend time at and enjoy,'' he said.
‘‘We are looking forward to hearing more ideas from the community as the project progresses.''
The new facility will open to the public in 2019.
