Pull the plug

Not sure what point Brian Vickery was trying to make by including me in his letter to the editor of November 15, however, in response, whilst I agree that out of towners should pay, I think they should pay a lot more and all of the entry fee should go to offset the enormous costs associated with this venture. Why does the Len Lye Foundation get 1/3 of the $15 entry fee? This year there is an overspend on an already existing budget of about $3.5million for ratepayers to suck up. Vickery is wrong, I believe, in comparing Womad and the garden festival with Lye; these events are short term and truly an iconic part of our city, the majority coming to Womad or the garden festival come specifically for those events, whilst I would suggest significantly fewer come with only Len Lye in mind, he is an add on. All we hear about Lye is that he brings so much into the economy; that is b/s; the city itself is what attracts people. I have read letters from embarrassed residents (Lye fans to boot), taking visitors to see this great building only to leave thinking, ‘what is all the shouting about, totally uninspiring’, and locals who have visited it saying never again.

Here’s a suggestion, hand the whole shooting match over to The Lye Foundation, give them two years funding to get them started, then let them find the funding, pull the plug and stop making ratepayers continue paying more and more to satisfy the whim of so few.

Peter Barker

Bell Block