It's gorgeous days like today (well, the walk in this morning was grand) that help explain how Wellington can be so abysmally governed. If it weren't for days like this, who'd stay?
A closing of some tabs.
- Officials failed to tell councillors about the latest round of cost overruns at Town Hall for more than six months.
- Now they're figuring they might need to demolish the Fowler Centre, given the experience with Town Hall. Fun Fact: Fowler Centre was built as replacement for Town Hall [really great history in that piece by McManus]. But then the heritage people did heritage people stuff.
- On Town Hall, "the papers in front of councillors suggested a high degree of project mismanagement."
- No need to consult the public about Town Hall. Ratepayers footing the bill could have submitted in a consultation process back when the cost was only $90m. Great timeline on this piece too.
- Meanwhile, NZSO, which will never ever cover the cost of this facility, says it's all 'visionary'. If Town Hall had sold out shows ten times a week for the next 30 years and set a $19 surcharge on tickets to cover the cost of strengthening works, it would cover the cost of the repairs. [I'd mentioned the number on RNZ yesterday, I think I also mention it in tomorrow's piece for the Dom.] NZSO charges less than $40 for a ticket currently and does not put on ten sell-out shows per week.
- It'll be fun to see what horrors await in the next Long Term Plan.
- I wonder whether council will re-think the crazy food waste collection scheme.
- Remember that the costs of all of this are going to load up on top of either a hefty rates increase or a large water charge increase to cover the cost of fixing the darned pipes. Wellington will not get a bailout; Three-Waters is likely to be scrapped.
- Trying to fix heritage buildings in Wellington is "like walking over broken glass". It is easier, and almost certainly optimal given the constraints, to leave them and hope for an arsonist to help.
- Median rent here is now $640/week for a house.
- Activists are trying to kill any amount of nightlife.
Councillor McNulty at least tried his best on some of this. I've been imagining him in lieu of the other McNulty, recreating that scene from The Wire, walking around the Town Hall site, pointing at things, and just repeating one word.
Oh: rain's now shown up.
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