City Focus sails yet to find suitable new home (+video)

The future of the City Focus' discarded sails is up in the air, as recycling options are looked into.

Councillor Trevor Maxwell asked council staff at a meeting of the Rotorua Lakes Council operations and monitoring committee yesterday what was being done with the large sails, suggesting they could be donated to local schools.

Council staff explained they had been in contact with some schools already, but the remaining life span of the sails and the cost to install them would be prohibitive.

It was also explained that the sails could not be cut up as they would lose their structural integrity and the sails had just five years of life left in them.

The sails were removed on Monday night, the first step in the makeover of the City Focus. Former Rotorua mayor Grahame Hall yesterday spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post about the redesign.

He said he was upset not because of his role in its establishment, but because of the cost of carrying out the revamp, which is expected to cost about $1 million.

Mr Hall said in his view it was a "whimsical project" and also questioned the timing of the project before Christmas. The demolition of the City Focus building will be done by December 18 with the second phase planned for after Easter.

"Why start at the beginning of summer in one of the busiest retail times of the year?"