Central-city fountain vandalised by dye

[ad_1]

Vandals twice last year put dye into the water fountain surrounding the All Creatures Great sculpture outside the entrance to the Palmerston North City Library.

DAVID UNWIN/Stuff

Vandals twice last year put dye into the water fountain surrounding the All Creatures Great sculpture outside the entrance to the Palmerston North City Library.

Vandals twice put dye into a central-city water fountain, which houses a prominent sculpture, requiring a costly cleanup.

Last year vandals put dye in the water pools which surrounds the All Creatures Great sculpture by Paul Dibble outside the entrance to the Palmerston North City Library, at the top of the ramp between George St and The Square.

The sculpture was cleaned and not damaged by the dye or the cleaning. The cleaning cost $3000.

The Palmerston North City Council’s chief customer officer Chris Dyhrberg said dye was put in the pools on two occasions, in May and August last year.

READ MORE:
* Acting chief executive appointed to lead Palmerston North City Council
* All Saints accepts an olive branch over hearing costs
* Free passes for preschoolers see more families taking the plunge

“The vandalism was intentional, occurred overnight, and both instances were reported to police.

“The dye was not placed in the pool during or for any council event.”

The dye stained the pool lining and the part of sculpture that was submerged in the water, a whale tail.

The sculpture features a whale and a stack of elephants supporting a hand holding a plumb bob, a weight suspended from a string.

Dibble, who casts his work in bronze, is a renowned artist and many of his recognisable works are on display around Palmerston North.

The dye stained the pool lining and the part of sculpture that was submerged in the water, the whale tail.

DAVID UNWIN/Stuff

The dye stained the pool lining and the part of sculpture that was submerged in the water, the whale tail.

The pools are now empty.

“We worked with an art conservator and a pool technician to develop a plan for safely cleaning both the pools and the sculpture,” Dyhrberg said.

“All care was taken through the entire process and the sculpture was protected from the hydrochloric acid pool cleaning process.”

Pumping out and disposing the dyed water and cleaning the pool cost $3000, not including staff time.

Dyhrberg said the council was working through maintenance issues before the pools could be refilled.

The police had been contacted for comment.

[ad_2]

Leave a Comment