CPlay costs still rising, now $3m

Costs to build Timaru’s state-ofthe-art playground at Caroline Bay have climbed to $3 million, as a request for an additional $300,000 goes to a council committee today.

The build, which has included a massive fundraising effort from the community, and a Timaru District Council contribution, was originally estimated to cost $2.2 million, but in June the committee behind the project said this had risen by 15% because of increased costs.

In September, the CPlay committee told The Timaru Herald the cost had increased again, but would not disclose by how much.

However, the agenda for the council infrastructure committee meeting today shows ‘‘quotations for construction works including ground formation, paths, edging and other surfacing have the total cost . . . at $3m’’.

The report says the extent and cost of the playground has increased, and additional safety matting is required.

‘‘The CPlay project group has made further funding applications to address the funding shortfall for this item.

‘‘A significant part of the cost increase is driven by a council request to complete the pathways in concrete and complete the play surface in a pour and play product.’’

The report says the health and safety of children using the playground is ‘‘paramount’’.

‘‘Having concrete pathways instead of asphalt decreases the slip factor and also reduces the heat factor in the summer, eliminating the issue of children receiving burns on their feet.’’

The report says it is also considered to have superior safety over the grass turf alternative, and is value for money with lower maintenance costs.

The report’s preferred option is to approve the additional funding to ‘‘improve safety and lower whole of life costs’’.

The council agreed to invest $1,029,000 in the project in July 2021, with the committee expected to raise the other $1.1m through fundraising and grants.

The report says the additional funding can be managed from within the council’s parks budget.

The council will take ownership and be responsible for maintaining the community-led upgrade once the project is complete.

Work on the project was originally set to begin in July or August, 2022, but this has been extended to March, 2023.