By XAVIER SMERDON
WYNDHAM Council has lost $106,000 of ratepayer’s money by terminating the construction of a piece of public artwork – seven years after it was first planned.
At last week’s council meeting all but three of the councillors decided to scrap plans to build Escape the Golden Sun, a giant road-side sculpture that would have been located near the Western Interchange on the Princes Highway, on the Geelong side of Wyndham.
The artwork was the first ever unanimous choice of an independent committee of 13 people.
It was supposed to represent the golden sun moth, a highly endangered creature that is found in Wyndham, and have elements showing Wyndham’s aviation history and the fire that has helped carve the landscape.
The total cost to build the enormous sculpture would have been $583,000.
Despite already spending $106,000 in the development of the project on “organisational costs and external design and professional fees,” the council decided they could not afford to continue with it.
Councillor Adele Hegedich said she did not find the artwork appealing.
“I really doubt that the average person or any tourist travelling past this wonderful city of ours at 100 kilometres will have any idea of what this monument represents,” Cr Hegedich said.
“It will probably become recognised as that yellow black thing on the side of the road, rather than a moth and least of all the golden sun moth.
“I’m not supporting the recommendation and in doing so I see it as a saving of $480,000 to our community, rather than an expense of $106,000.”
But Cr Shane Bourke said the council was effectively throwing money “down the gurgler”.
“I’m tired of over the years we always take second best, we always say we can’t afford that,” Cr Bourke said.
“I know financial concerns do haunt us at times, but this is about putting this municipality on the map.”
Wyndham Mayor Heather Marcus supported the project going ahead.
“I think we should have gone ahead with. I’m just so terribly disappointed,” Cr Marcus told Star.
“An enormous amount of work went into this so I just feel sorry for the committee members that worked on it for so many years.
“We missed a big opportunity to improve the image of Wyndham.”
