Cost of maintenance and new supports for Cav St shade structure tops $100k
Taxpayers will be footing the bill to maintain and install new supports for stubborn vines along one of Darwin’s CBD streets.
Northern Territory
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OVER $100,000 in taxpayer dollars will be spent on the Cavanagh St shade structure in the next year.
In response to a question on notice in NT Estimates, the government has revealed $51,444 would be spent on new “jute netting” supports to keep vines fixed to the structure.
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Meanwhile, it was costing taxpayers $4155 a month, or $49,860 a year, to maintain the shade structure.
Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler was in June unable to say what the cost for the new supports or the maintenance bill of the shade structure.
The project cost $2.7m to build, and vines have struggled to grow since it was completed in 2018.
Ms Lawler in Estimates rejected the idea of replacing the vines with artificial alternatives, saying such a move wouldn’t be aesthetically ideal.
Speaking to the NT News on Wednesday, Ms Lawler said the installation of the jute netting was delayed due to Covid-19 lockdowns, but would halve the maintenance costs of the structure.
“We will always look at ways to improve and enhance our assets, so additional support to make sure the vines are growing in a linear fashion will be placed on the shade structure,” she said.
“With new jute netting we are expecting to see a reduction in the frequency of vine maintenance in the order of 50 per cent.”
Ms Lawler said the structure was a welcome addition to the city and had helped “revitalise and beautify” the CBD.
“The Territory Labor Government has worked hard over many years to revitalise Darwin’s CBD through transformative projects that will position Darwin as a cool, modern, tropical destination,” she said.
“It’s all about attracting more people into our city, boosting small business and creating jobs for Territorians.”
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