From Alice Springs News earlier this year
By ERWIN CHLANDA
Treasurer Nicole Manison offered the Alice Springs Town Council up to $5m for Anzac Oval but this is likely to be withdrawn because Chief Minister Michael Gunner has announced “consideration will need to be given to the future” of the National Aboriginal Art Gallery for which the oval was needed.
Ms Manison has not responded to a request yesterday from the Alice Springs News Online for information about her negotiations with the council but we have learned that her letter to the council contained the following:-
“The land has a current compensation value of $3.6m comprising of the land value and disturbance costs.
“Alice Springs Town Council could propose compensation for acquiring Lot 678 (the Anzac Oval) that could be in the form of a land exchange, monetary payment, provision of infrastructure works, or a combination of these options, that would enable the council to deliver further priority projects for the people of Alice Springs.
“Government would be willing to negotiate the above compensation value for the fair purchase of the site up to the total value of $5m,” Ms Manison wrote.
“This would be conditional o the [council] utilising the additional funds over and above the compensation value for projects that would activate the CBD.
“Activation projects may include infrastructure that links to the Anzac precinct such as walkways and lighting, or other agreed projects that would directly benefit the people of Alice Springs …
“In addition to the above government will fund the construction of a new rugby facility.”
Meanwhile Mayor Damien Ryan has not responded to questions from the News about the possible cancellation of the gallery project.
We emailed him early this morning: “The 10 signatories of the letter rejecting the Anzac precinct site have made it clear they are supporting the concept of the gallery in Alice Springs, just not in that location.