The Sarjeant Gallery Trust has urged the Wanganui District Council take a positive lead in the gallery redevelopment to build trust and confidence in the project.
The plea has come from Nicola Williams, chairwoman of the trust, in a submission to the council's 10-Year Plan yesterday.
Ms Williams told the council the trust had "ticked all the boxes", apart from the fundraising, but this was well under way for the $34 million Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehu project.
She said there had been suggestions of simply strengthening the existing gallery on Queens Park and using space in the city library next door to overcome storage issues.
"But the idea of strengthening the gallery alone and not pushing on with the extension is total idiocy," she said.
"While the strengthening is a $15 million job, tackling that alone means we will not get access to the $10 million promised by Government or those other corporate sponsors we will be targeting."
She said the trust appreciated the council's commitment of $5 million to the project.
"It shows, when we go to central government, that they can see some skin on the ground from ratepayers. It shows that commitment," Ms Williams said.
Ms Williams said the trust believed the Sarjeant redevelopment was the only project in the city that will add significantly to the district's economy.
"So, for that reason, the gallery project is not just a 'nice to have'. It's an imperative project for the region."
She said the trust was now "on the road" with its major fundraising campaign.
"We have $18 million in written pledges but it remains about building trust and confidence," she said.