Relocating Wachner Pl clock preferred option

A plan to restore the Wachner Pl clock tower in the inner city has been rejected by the Invercargill City Council, with one councillor describing the former city landmark as an ‘‘expensive ornament’’.

At the council’s infrastructure and growth committee meeting on Tuesday, councillors opted not to proceed with the $1,367,000 project to construct a new tower for the clock in Wachner Pl and instead find another location for it.

During the upgrade of the inner city, the structure containing the clock in Wachner Pl was demolished with the intention of building a new tower in its place.

A report tabled at Tuesday’s meeting outlined the amended cost of the project, which in July last year had been estimated to cost $1.98 million and included a possible option for the design of the tower.

Committee chairwoman Alex Crackett said the report was not about whether the council should begin a project.

‘‘It’s a question of how we go about completing one.’’

The project would be at no additional cost to ratepayers.

Consultation had shown the public were in favour of the clock remaining in the area, she said.

During the discussion, Cr Darren Ludlow said nowadays many people carried cellphones which they referred to when wanting to know the time.

‘‘These days the clock is ornamental.

‘‘I think everybody looks at the project and goes ‘that’s a really expensive ornament’ and they’re right, it is.’’

There were other, cheaper, ways to preserve the clock.

At present a fenced ‘‘dirty great hole’’ marked the place where the clock would be positioned and it would cost about $50,000 to fill that in and pave the area, he said.

Doing this would open up the space rather than having a clock in the middle of it.

Mayor Tom Campbell said it was about two years since councillors had agreed to build a new tower for the clock but the economic climate had changed considerably since then.

Before the local body elections last year, the council minimising discretionary spending was discussed.

‘‘The clock is almost a very definition of discretionary spending.’’

Cr Andrea de Vries said it was important to recognise cityscapes changed over time and the transformation of Esk St west was something to be celebrated.

Rather than doing nothing with the space, she would be in favour of turning the area into a public art space, she said.

The council will consider the recommendation at its next meeting.

sandy.eggleston@odt.co.nz