The Otago City Council has during this last week faced up to
something that has been blindingly obvious to most ratepayers for many years –
Council’s fancy $230 million covered stadium will forever be a black hole that
eats ratepayer money.
In a report to the Dunedin City Council the Council’s CEO
said the operating deficits of the last two years were going to get worse. No
international rugby tests are expected to be held at the Forsyth Bar Stadium in
the coming year and major events are not returning after previous shows failed
to attract worthwhile crowds. Quite simply, there are not enough people in
Dunedin to sustain the level of activity the stadium requires to come close to
being viable.
