$100m extra for AmCup works
Auckland Council has for the first time revealed a $100 million price tag for extra work it is doing around the construction of America’s Cup bases at the Viaduct Harbour.
The so-called ‘‘auxiliary works’’ are on top of the $98.5m the council will spend directly on constructing a Cup Village and an extra $14.5m councillors will vote on today.
The original figure was signed off in March but detailed preparation unearthed extra costs.
A report updating councillors on costs for the 2021 sailing regatta showed, for the first time, the cost of other work the council decided should be done earlier than previously planned. The council’s chief operating officer, Dean Kimpton, said much of the work was already scheduled somewhere in the council’s 10-year plan.
The biggest single item was a $22m upgrade of a stormwater outfall. The current outfall would discharge into where most of the challenger bases would be located.
Another major cost was $20m for relocating the Sealink ferry wharf to outside the Cup Village area but that would be partly recovered through lease income from the firm, the report said. Similarly, the $12.2m cost of a floating marina for superyachts would be offset by berthing fees.
The $6.1m cost of decontaminating land on Wynyard Wharf following the removal of bulk storage tanks would have been required in the long-term redevelopment of those sites regardless of the cup. Auckland councillors were briefed on Tuesday on the $14.5m increase in the council’s share of the Cup Village costs, with construction work about to get into full swing.
The Government has already approved its equal share of the increase, and some extra costs it faces, adding
$22.5m to its share.
The total cost for the council and Government of constructing the village and relocating some tenants is now
$241.4m, including the Government’s
$40m share of running the event.