At their meeting this Wednesday, Ashburton district councillors voted to approve the project, which was recommended by staff, and spend up to $297,000 on the refurbishment.
The council voted 6-3 to go ahead with the work. The vote did not include Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown who had already voiced his support for the project. Councillors Rob Mackle, Phill Hooper and Russell Ellis opposed it. Councillor Richard Wilson said he was “appalled at the cost” but supported the restoration.
The need for the refurbishment was signalled in June last year after a structural and maintenance assessment on the 12m statue.
The sculpture’s original creator, Phil Price Sculptures Ltd, will undertake the work at its Christchurch studio.
Council open spaces planner Bert Hofmans told district councillors the refurbishment will return the sculpture “to its original glory” but it needed to be done urgently.
In their staff report, the open spaces team told district councillors the 34-year-old salmon was ageing fast. The paint on its deteriorated fibreglass body had faded and algae growth was taking a toll.
‘‘Cracking and crazing are visible on various areas. In some areas, the underlying yellow polyurethane foam is also visible,’’ it said.
‘‘There is a risk that this is exposing the inner core of the sculpture to moisture intrusion, which could ultimately necessitate more extensive repairs and affect its long term structural integrity.
‘‘By taking it off-site into a controlled environment, the tenderer is confident they can restore the sculpture to its original glory.
‘‘This is probably the last time Phil Price will be able to assist so is motivated to complete the job to a high standard.’’
It will cost an additional $82,000 plus GST for craning, transportation, sandblasting, cutting and welding of the support pole.
The money would come from the district council’s reserves contribution reserve.
The 12m-high statue was created by a Rakaia Lions initiative in 1991, costing $44,893. Its journey to Rakaia gained considerable publicity at the time, detouring through Cathedral Square for a blessing by the Christchurch wizard.
The sculpture was previously removed in 2006 so it could be painted at a Rakaia warehouse.
While staff recommended the refurbishment, district councillors had two other options - allow the sculpture to continue to deteriorate or do the repairs and repainting on site.
The latter option would have been a ‘‘temporary fix’’ with lower quality paint work, costing $160,000. And no supplier willing to undertake the work on site had been identified.
