Another curve ball has been thrown at the project to raise money for the Tahunanui Modellers Pond, with a new report suggesting the modellers group may have to come up with more than the $600,000 already stated, for the project to go ahead.
Councillor Mike Rutledge says the initial report showed the cost to empty the pond, concrete it and refill it so that it would no longer have unsightly algae, was $1.2 million.
The previous Nelson City Council pledged to contribute $600,000, if the volunteers behind the modellers group raised the rest.
But a new report to be presented at the council’s sport and recreation committee on February 23 is expected to show that those costs were miscalculated and it’s more likely to cost much more.
So far the society has been able to raise a little over $100,000 in cash and negotiate discounts for if the work was to occur.
Cr Rutledge says that isn’t fair on the modellers society and means the current plan should be revisited by the council.
“I think it was incredibly unfair is that there’s a proposal put in place where basically the modellers are asked to write a blank cheque.”
He says he wants to hear from Nelsonians about whether the pond should be concreted and cleaned, or returned to an estuary with the rest of it transformed to park space.
The second option is expected to cost $690,000.
“But that [cost] was prepared by the same people that came up with the [wrongly calculated] $1.2 figure in the first place so I don’t know how much confidence we can have in that being the number,” says Rutledge.
When the previous council announced last year the current proposal, the Tahunanui Modellers Society had until this month to come up with their share of the money. If they couldn’t, then the pond would be filled in.
Cr Rutledge says in light of the new costs he says the council may need to rethink the proposal.
