AT LAST the Katherine Regional Cultural Precinct has received the news it’s been waiting for – Minister for Arts and Museums Gerry McCarthy announced on Monday that a $500,000 operational grant would secure the facility’s ongoing running costs as the July 14 opening approaches.
The grant comes after prolonged uncertainty about operational funding after the Northern Territory Government failed to include specific funding provisions in its recent May budget.
But now with a concrete date set for the precinct’s opening, some disappointment has been expressed at what will be a major feature of the new complex – the recently constructed amphitheatre.
Katherine Regional Arts Executive Officer Toni Tapp Coutts said she was alarmed by the sheer sides the structure looks to have, and said it does not look like the amphitheatre which was originally conceived of, and which the community were consulted about.
“I’m really concerned about the design of it.
“I thought it was to be a shaped hill with a flat area at the front, but parts of this look way too steep for easy access,” Ms Tapp Coutts said.
While the amphitheatre’s construction is complete, landscaping has yet to take place, and grass has not yet been added to the structure.
For the full story see this week's June 6 edition of the Katherine Times