Timaru's CPlay project running to budget, chairperson tells meeting

Thursday, 27 July 2023

An artist's impression of the ship at Timaru's CPlay.

The cost of building a state-of-the-art playground at Timaru's Caroline Bay is running to budget, but more items may be added if funding applications are granted, a council meeting has been told.

Speaking at the Timaru District Council’s infrastructure committee meeting on Tuesday, CPlay chairperson Owen Jackson, also a councillor, told his fellow members around the table the $2.98 million project was on budget.

“We have a wish list of things we’d like to add, that are not essentials,’’ Jackson said.

Work on the playground started in March, with part of a shipwreck put in place earlier this month. Last week, contractors were setting up the ship’s mast, a nod to Timaru’s rich maritime history.

Committee chairperson Sally Parker asked Jackson if there was any news he wanted to share about the project when the item came up as part of a report on key projects in the district.

Members of Timaru’s Brosnan Transport set up the pirate ship at CPlay on July 17.

However, before he could answer, councillor Stu Piddington asked about funding for the playground.

“Is the project all totally funded now and is it on budget?,’’ he asked via video link.

The council’s infrastructure group manager Andrew Dixon said the project was on budget, with “a little bit more funding to raise’’, but then referred the question to Jackson.

“Is that not a conflict of interest for me?’’ Jackson replied.

Contractors work on the new playground in late June.

Mayor Nigel Bowen said, “sitting here in a council capacity’’ if the question was simple, and he could answer it, Jackson was welcome to answer.

“It’s totally up to you,’’ Bowen said, before he added that he was happy to speak on Jackson’s behalf “so you’re not conflicted in any way’’.

“There’s just a little bit of funding [needed] … and there are a couple of avenues to look at [for] that funding, so that would probably sum it up, wouldn’t it?,’’ Bowen said.

When asked if that answered his question, Piddington replied “not really, but I guess it is what it is’’.

“I mean there might be people in the community willing to help if we know what the shortfall is, is my point,’’ he said.

A fundraising eco-friendly car wash saw about 30 volunteers clean cars to raise funds for CPlay and celebrate Seaweek in March 2022.

The council’s chief executive Bede Carran then stepped in.

He said, as the item being discussed was around a report to be received, and no decision was being made, Jackson was entitled to comment.

Parker then said to Jackson, the impression the council had was that the funding still required for the project would come through avenues of application, rather than public fundraising.

“So where we’re at with the project at the moment is we have a wish list of things that we would like to add to the playground, but they’re not essentials,’’ Jackson replied.

He would have a much better idea where things were at in about eight weeks time, he said.

“I’ll have a much better idea of just how many of those things we can actually do with the money we have left.

“If we do want to continue on and get some of those things on the wish list we do have funding avenues to go down, which I can’t divulge at the moment.

Work on the playground continues. (File photo)

“So the project is on budget.’’

The project was made possible by a massive community fundraising effort and a contribution from the Timaru District Council.

It was originally estimated to cost $2.2m, but in June 2022 the committee behind the project announced this had risen by 15% because of increased costs. This rose to $2.98m in November 2022.

The council would take ownership and be responsible for maintaining the community-led upgrade once the project was complete.