NP & SP council votes to spend $100,000 on new grand piano

An Adelaide mayor has blasted his own council for deciding to spend up to $100,000 on a new grand piano for Norwood Concert Hall — to replace the existing piano.

The Norwood Town Hall. Picture: Simon Cross

Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Council will spend up to $100,000 on a grand piano for the Norwood Concert Hall, in a move described as “beyond the pale” by Mayor Robert Bria.

Elected members voted 6-4 at its last meeting to approve an annual budget request from the Adelaide Summer Orchestra for the council to allocate $100,000 to buy a piano.

It comes nearly two months after a failed push from Cr John Minney for the council to allocate funds for the musical instrument.

Councillors Evonne Moore and Sue Whitington — who voted against Cr Minney’s previous push — were absent for the vote on Wednesday night.

Mr Bria pushed at the meeting for elected members to refuse the orchestra’s funding request to avoid adding the council’s name to a “laundry list of bad decisions and bad headlines” for the local government sector.

“I would caution members to think about the public perception,” Mr Bria said.

“I’m not sure buying a new piano is a good look for this council. I think we need to be conscious of our ratepayers.”

He said the town hall’s existing piano was “more than serviceable”.

Mr Bria told the Eastern Courier Messenger after the meeting that he had not slept following the council’s decision because of stress.

“It’s beyond the pale,” he said. “It’s become an unhealthy obsession. I just don’t get it.

“I will be considering a rescission motion at this stage.”

Piano makers Kawai have offered to sell the council a grand piano for $74,295, which the orchestra believed was an “extremely good investment for the community”.

It has suggested the council sell the existing piano — valued about $10,000 — or trade it in for the new piano.

In a letter to the council, orchestra concert manager Aileen Chatterton said the town hall was lacking a concert grand piano.

“There is an opportunity here for the hall to attract a significantly greater number of classical concerts over time, at both amateur and professional levels,” Ms Chatterton wrote.

She said the existing piano was “well below concert standard”.

Cr Carlo Dottore told the meeting Cr Minney’s renewed push was “just a whim”.

“(The existing piano) is more than adequate,” Cr Dottore said. “We’re going to throw $100,000 away. There are much more useful things (to spend money on).

“I find this not good management … by people who should know better.”

Cr Kester Moorhouse said the community would be surprised at the piano’s cost.

“We have a piano that is working,” Cr Moorhouse said. “We have other pressing concerns.”

However, Cr John Callisto said the council should take advantage of a “good price”.

“It has little impact on the budget, it maintains a good relationship with the orchestra which is important,” Cr Callisto said.

Cr Minney said the council had to provide complementing facilities on The Parade and not let the strip “die a slow and agonising death”.

“(We must) pump some life into this place,” Cr Minney said. “To me, it needs to have some vibrancy.”

Council officers said the existing piano was in “good working order”. The council’s budget will be finalised on July 1.