The Waitaki District Council has set aside $700,000 from reserves to start fundraising for the project, estimated last year to cost about $3.8 million.
Some money would come from grants, gallery director Warwick Smith said, emphasising the project would not be a cost to the ratepayer.
The council will have a better idea of the cost once a peer review is completed over the next week and a meeting is held with architects McCoy and Wixon to finish plans and then update the estimate of the cost.
The redevelopment, if enough money is raised and it goes ahead, will be the third undertaken on cultural buildings owned by the council.
The $10.3 million restoration and redevelopment of the Opera House was completed earlier this year and a plan to spend about $7.36 million redeveloping the North Otago Museum was outlined last month.
The museum project also depends on outside funding being secured.
Mr Smith said a Forrester Gallery conservation report and feasibility study for the Historic Places Trust Category 1 listed building was prepared in 1999.
The study proposed. -
• A new three-storey addition on the rear of the building incorporating exhibition space, a lift and disabled access to a washroom.
• A purpose-designed loading dock on the ground floor.
• Exhibition preparation and temporary exhibition storage and collection storage areas in the basement.
• Improvement of service areas.
• A multipurpose classroom-workshop and storage.
• Redevelopment of the existing first-floor exhibition space.
• Utilisation of the bank vault space.
• Restoration of the exterior and an outdoor sculpture courtyard
The design of the rear addition would differentiate it from the historic building, but link it through the use of Oamaru stone, timber window joinery and by repeating the strong vertical lines of the original.
Mr Smith yesterday took community services committee councillors on a "walk through" of the redevelop-ment using floor plans and artist's impressions of the exterior.
Major funding would be sought from government and grants agencies. Letters of intent to seek funding had already been sent to them.
A fundraising strategy had been developed for the next 12 to 18 months.
Historic Places Trust approval was being sought for the development and resource consents would be needed.
After the meeting, Mr Smith told the Otago Daily Times the $3.8 million estimated cost was prepared last year based on concept plans.
Since then, the concept had been simplified to help offset any cost increases.
"I believe the project will increase visitor numbers to Oamaru.
"It will enhance the gallery and make it more accessible for all visitors," he said.
