That follows criticism last month of the cost of redeveloping the Forrester Gallery, Oamaru Public Library and North Otago Museum and Archives, along with a decision by the Waitaki District Council to set up a community building subcommittee to investigate all three projects.
Friends committee chairman Bruce Albiston said yesterday the council's community services manager, Thunes Cloete, and Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton were at the group's annual meeting on Wednesday to explain the approach it was using for the three facilities.
Described as "an open forum" by Mr Albiston, the annual meeting made no decisions but supported the gallery redevelopment.
The new Friends committee would discuss what the annual meeting had been told, look at how to generate more community input for redevelopment of the art gallery and prepare information to take to the new subcommittee.
However, Mr Albiston was disappointed the Forrester subcommittee which originally considered the redevelopment had been replaced.
"At no stage was the existing [Forrester] subcommittee convened to discuss such a proposal, nor were the Friends given any opportunity to comment until the proposal was effectively cut and dried." The Friends of the Forrester wanted the original Forrester subcommittee retained.
The Forrester proposals had been worked on for virtually a decade and were refined to provide a cost-effective extension at half projected costs,That proposal costing $2.5 million was put to the council in February. It provided an addition which included a lift and increased exhibition and storage space.
Cr Peter Garvan had criticised development proposals costing between $13 million and $15 million for the Forrester, library and museum as unaffordable, and suggested a total cost of $3.5 million for all three buildings should be the target.
Mr Albiston said Cr Garvan omitted to identify the considerable community input that had marked the entire life of the Forrester Gallery.
All its capital funding and collection endowments primarily derived from special funding generated from bequests, grants and fundraising, he said.
