In her report to the full council meeting in Queenstown on Thursday, corporate services general manager Meaghan Miller has recommended the Lakes District Museum receive $1.04 million, excluding GST, to be loan-funded, to go towards its $3.5 million seismic-strengthening project, due to begin in February.
The museum’s former Bank of New Zealand building, in Arrowtown, was built in 1865 and is a category 2 heritage building.
It had earlier been tagged as earthquake-prone, requiring strengthening by 2025. However, to date the museum board had struggled to find funders to assist.
Director David Clarke could not be reached for comment yesterday.
He submitted to the council’s annual plan earlier this month, seeking a $1.2 million extraordinary grant for the project, at the time describing the museum as the ‘‘jewel of Buckingham St’’.
Other grant funding recommendations to be put to the council on Thursday include Link Upper Clutha — part of the Alpine Community Development Trust — ($47,500), Wai Wanaka ($50,000), Three Lakes Cultural Trust ($40,000), Te Ao Marama ($30,000), and the Whakatipu Wildlife Trust ($20,000).
