Funding announced for fountain to be erected at Crown Range summit

Date:

Apr 1, 2019

Queenstown Lakes District Council has today announced plans to assist with funding the construction of a fountain resembling a wine bottle at the Crown Range summit, in a bid to acknowledge one of the district’s key industries and economic drivers.

With a grant secured from the Central Lakes Arts Support Scheme (CLASS), current artist impressions of the fountain have it standing at over two storeys in height, with the potential for the landmark to be lit up by spotlight during evenings.

Mayor Jim Boult said the bold structure would be just one part of a wider project aimed at celebrating the district and its nuances, with the fountain’s base and frame constructed out of recycled steel from abandoned cars left in Queenstown.

“For a long time now we’ve been looking for the perfect way to add to the visual splendour of our district, while also emphasising what makes this place such a drawcard for people around the world,” Mayor Boult said.

“In the end the choice was simple really. A lot of people seem to stop at the Crown Range summit, so why not provide them something beautiful to look at.”

“This did raise some concern around drivers speeding past such a populated area. However, proposed changes in our Speed Limit Bylaw 2019 aim to reduce the Crown Range to 25 km/h, so every single driver will be given ample time to take in the fountain and its splendour while passing by at an extremely leisurely rate.”

Mayor Boult was at pains to highlight the environmentally friendly nature of the fountain too, noting all materials used would be sourced locally.

“Obviously, sustainability is a key component of any project, and considering how many abandoned cars we have around the district, literally constructing this fountain out of them seemed like a no brainer.”

Next steps in the project, fondly labelled by Mayor Boult as ‘Wine a Little. Laugh a Lot,’ involve a team of engineers preparing the site over the next seven months, before QLDC then inevitably consult with the public again days out from ground being broken.

QLDC would like to acknowledge other suggested alternatives that didn’t receive funding, like John McJohnson’s statue on the shores of Lake Wakatipu representing Split Enz’s Six Months in a Leaky Boat, and the reversal of Project Fullahotair – last year’s outlandish scheme that proposed to heat Lake Wakatipu and would have caused dire consequences to marine life.

A budget of $1.3 million dollars was secured for 'Wine a Little. Laugh a Lot' this morning, Monday 1 April, despite Queenstown Lakes councillors initially thinking the project had to be an April Fool’s prank.

ENDS

Media contact:

• A. P. Rilfool