Makeover possible for council chambers

The Wanganui District Council is investigating transforming its meeting chambers into a civil reception area for all Wanganui but has dropped a proposal to spend $40,000 on another meeting room upgrade to save money.
A report was tabled at a meeting of the audit and administration meeting yesterday by elected members support leader Malcolm Hunt which listed options for improving council's meeting spaces.
The report proposed the council's Committee Room 2 be enlarged to accommodate more public observers and improved to the tune of an estimated $40,300.
It also proposed the council chamber be developed as a formal reception facility with existing raised floor and benches being removed and the media booth being reborn as a servery.
Additional lighting and acoustic work was also proposed to augment improvements made this year with the installation of 25 portraits of former Wanganui mayors and Peter McIntyre's painting entitled Wanganui.
The chamber redevelopment was estimated at $33,700. But councillors decided against pursuing both proposals in an effort to save money.
Cr Barbara Bullock said she thought the committee room could be enlarged simply by pushing the existing tables together to recover space currently taken up by a gap. "Personally I'd rather spend the money on getting the council chamber up to scratch," she said.
Cr Rangi Wills agreed. "Spend $40,000 to gain sitting space for 12 more people? (the increased public space) Not this coming year, when we're looking at saving money."
Mr Wills said an upgrade of the chambers was a good idea and he wanted to see a sound system installed so people attending meetings could hear what was being said.
Cr Randhir Dahya said the council had to show it was frugal and Cr Sue Westwood said an upgrade of the chamber could proceed in two stages to save money and keep to the council's targeted nil rates rise.
Mayor Michael Laws said he agreed with the councillors and wanted to see the chambers become a civic reception area incorporating artwork which told Wanganui's story.
He said those works would have to reflect Wanganui's bi-cultural society, then quickly caught himself.
"I mean multicultural, thanks to Cr Dahya who reproved me with a flick of his right eyebrow."
Mr Laws said he had spoken to iwi who had suggested a carved lintel at the chamber's entrance. He also thought the city's arts community and Ucol could be involved in a refurbishment.
Cr Bullock then asked that all council be kept informed of any chamber developments and she asked where the mayoral portraits had come from.
"We need to be kept in the picture," she said. Mr Laws said the Whanganui Regional Museum had been asked to provide the portraits and had done so and sent council a bill for $5000.
Councillors seemed satisfied with his answer and there were murmurs that the price was reasonable. However, it was still unclear who actually asked for the portraits in the first place.
"I do think they are good. We just need to informed of what is spent and spending needs to be itemised," Cr Bullock said.
"I'm happy to agree with it (an upgrade) but things just can't be done on a whim without us knowing." Council resolved for Mr Hunt to further investigate a chamber upgrade.