Southland
The Invercargill i-SITE will temporarily relocate to the Northend Bowling Club in Queens Park by the end of this week (13 APRIL).
Several relocation options for the i-SITE were considered by Venture Southland, which is responsible for the operation and management of the Invercargill i-SITE, before confirming the Northend Bowling Club in Queens Park.
Venture Southland chief executive Paul Casson said a main priority in determining a new location for the i-SITE was to ensure minimal disruption for visitors.
“The bowling club was selected due to its proximity to the museum, which visitors are familiar with, and because the location won’t affect bus routes,” he said.
Casson was appreciative of vast amount of community support received while seeking a new location, and thanked the Northend Bowling Club for accommodating the i-SITE.
“The i-SITE plays a crucial role in welcoming and providing information to our city visitors so it was important that we were able to have immediate presence after the museum’s closure,” Casson said.
The i-SITE will be open at the new location, 112 Gala Street from 8:30am Friday, 13 April.
Casson said that the i-SITE could be based at the Northend Bowling Club for up to 12 weeks while suitable locations in the inner city are assessed.
The Invercargill i-SITE is no longer able to operate out of its location at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery following the decision made on Tuesday to close Museum buildings to the public indefinitely.
The decision to close was made by the Southland Museum and Art Gallery Trust Board, with the support of the Invercargill City Council, after expert advice was received regarding the safety of the Museum buildings in the case of an earthquake.
While it was a sad and challenging time for Invercargill with the closure of the museum, Casson was supportive of the decision, saying that the safety of staff, general public and visitors to our region was paramount.