Invercargill City Council infrastructure chief engineer Russell Pearson updated councillors on the Esk St West development at yesterday’s council meeting.
In his report, Mr Pearson said the clock’s mechanism had been removed from the tower and repaired.
It looked in near new condition but would need regular maintenance to ensure it did not deteriorate.
He asked the council to confirm the $1.98 million budget for the clock restoration and recladding.
The clock will be housed in a new structure closer to Dee St.
During discussion of the report, Cr Ian Pottinger said there was no way he could justify spending $1.98m on the clock as he did not like the concept design.
"Personally, to me it looks hideous."
The money would be better spent on landscaping or something more family-friendly, he said.
Cr Grant Dermody said he was supportive of the clock but not the cost.
There was no breakdown in the cost of rehousing the clock mentioned in the report.
"It’s pretty extravagant ... I think we can get still the clock back in there at a lot lower cost."
Cr Ria Bond asked if Mr Pearson could give a breakdown of the costs.
Mr Pearson said the external cladding to rehouse the clock was expected to be about $700,000.
Council infrastructure service group manager Erin Moogan said one of the larger costs would be the structural glass used to encase the clock mechanism so people could see it working.
Covering up the mechanism would keep the cost lower.
It was important to remember the design was only a concept, Ms Moogan said.
If councillors confirmed the budget the next step would be a detailed design.
Cr Tom Campbell said the clock was a "legacy structure" much like the museum.
It would not be good to cut costs just for the sake of it or to build it as cheaply as possible.
"We would want to have a clock that we’d be proud to have sitting there ... for a 100 years rather than something that was just a plain box."
Cr Trish Boyle said feedback from the community showed people "cherished" being able to see the mechanism of the clock working.
Cr Lesley Soper, Rev Evelyn Cook and Cr Ria Bond agreed it was important to keep the clock mechanism visible.
The majority of councillors agreed to confirm the $1.98m budget for the clock.
Crs Peter Kett, Pottinger, Bond and Dermody opposed the recommendation.
