Moves to restore an historic 1912 fountain at the Oamaru Gardens should be a step closer to reality within two months, when a decision is made on how to fund the estimated $120,000 project.
The Craig Fountain, a major feature at the gardens entrance, was turned off in the 1990s after it started leaking. It was estimated last year it would cost $20,000 to dismantle the Historic Places Trust category 2 structure, and between $60,000 and $100,000 to put it back together in working order.
The Waitaki District Council had decided to consult publicly on how to fund the fountain restoration, but council recreation manager Eric Van der Spek said councillors would now be asked to make a decision in the ''next couple of months''.
''We were developing our reserve management plans, and as part of that we were going to propose that the fountain gets restored with the help of community assistance and fundraising. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go to consultation.''
