Plans to light up the 105-year-old Italian marble fountain have started a discussion about lighting up the ''main paths'' at the 1876 gardens, Waitaki District Council recreation manager Erik van der Spek said yesterday.
''We are having discussions with the council; it's another part of what we're working on at the moment,'' he said. ''We obviously don't want to go back and do it as a separate job.''
The fountain failed in the 1990s and, in keeping with recommendations in a 2001 report, it was dismantled in March last year.
But last year, during investigations to determine whether it could be restored to working order, offers were received from Network Waitaki to provide a free lighting design for the fountain, and the Rotary Club of Oamaru to fundraise for the lighting. The council decided to accept the offer and fund the restoration of the fountain to $75,000, from a bequest to the gardens.
The gardens officially closed at dusk, Mr van der Spek said. Adding the work at the moment was ''just scoping'' and nothing had been done on a cost estimate for lighting the paths.
The council's new project and assets officer, Mark Burgher, starts next Monday and Mr van der Spek said overseeing the reinstatement of the fountain would be ''one of the first things'' he would do.
