Lions Fountain quote called into question

A KEY player in the Lismore Lions fountain controversy has disputed estimates that the fountain would cost less than $40,000 to restore.

CONTROVERSY: The Lions Fountain at the Lismore City Hall. Picture: Cathy Adams

A KEY player in the Lismore Lions fountain controversy has disputed estimates that the fountain would cost less than $40,000 to restore.

Lions district governor, Peter Oliver sat on a committee with Lismore City Council which ultimately led to plans to remove the monument in favour of a more modern public art work.

The plans are now on public display with councillors expected to make a final decision within the next two months, while a group of local Lions club members have launched a grass roots campaign to save the fountain.

One of the key arguments from fountain supporters is that it would only cost around $40,000 to restore.

But Mr Oliver, a retired mechanical engineer familiar with complex quotes, said he couldn't believe the accuracy of those estimates.

"The three quotes I saw were totally unsubstantiated, so I cannot with any confidence agree with them," he said.

Mr Oliver said costs of labour, parts, and tuning of the fountain plus health and safety requirements could quickly add up to at least $100,000 or even $200,000.

He said he wasn't trying to be "obstructive" but the figures that had been shown to him were "unrealistic".

"I would like someone to give me a substantiated quote," he said.

Mr Oliver said while he had a "love" for fountains, as an engineer he noted they had been a huge municipal problem in recent years and "you find that a lot of authorities have either turned them off or got rid of them".

Mr Oliver said according to his policy rules, he was committed to not leaving future Lions members in debt.

In light of this, he said the idea that the council could build a new monument that didn't require any maintenance but would tell the story of Lions had been a compelling one.

But he regretted the fallout from members who didn't think they were consulted on the plans. In response, he said he was "working on a compromise" with the council.

Lismore City Lions Club president Nancy Casson has meanwhile applied for a heritage-listing to bolster chances of the fountain being refurbished and preserved.

Ms Casson has also collected 340 signed letters from people who support the preservation. They include the son of Bill Tresise, the man who started the first Lions club in Australia in Lismore.