A project to upgrade Dannevirke’s subway tunnel in the hopes of putting a stop to constant vandalism proved to be contentious with members of the community board.

The proposal was to have a mural painted through the tunnel and at each of the entrances, funded by grants, with one grant application already approved.

Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis told members of the community board at a meeting this week that the subway tunnel, which connects Hall Street and Queen Street, was used by many people with mobility issues.

“I’ve had quite a few people contact me,” she said, adding they didn’t feel safe using the tunnel as it was tagged frequently.

The tunnel was painted last year through a council contract with MSD.

Last year, the council, through a contract with the Ministry of Social Development, had the tunnel painted in an attempt to stop the tagging, but it wasn’t long before it was vandalised.

“The concept was to transform it and turn it into a place that visitors wanted to go and have a look,” Collis said. “It is a beautiful area there, and it is something that is very special and unique.”

The expansive mural by SwiftMantis at the Regent Pahiatua. Photo / Derrick Sims

The artist they hoped to employ to paint the mural, who went by the name SwiftMantis, had painted a mural on the side of a building in Pahiatua.

Collis said people stopped there to have a look and it did get a lot of publicity.

Part of the project would involve artwork that told the cultural story as well, she said.

However, board members Ron Wallace and Ernie Christison queried the project, saying they felt it would be better to have a mural that wasn’t underground, thus more visible to people passing through town.

Board members argued a more visible mural like this one would be better than having one in the subway. Photo / Leanne Warr

Wallace said there was a mural painted on the side of the Warehouse on High Street, and that hadn’t been tagged.

“This is the main connection to Hawke’s Bay, and we’re going to put something under the ground?

“We could put these murals where it gives us credibility as a community board to say, ‘Look what they did, isn’t that beautiful?’”

He asked if anyone had done a count of how many people walked through, questioning the viability of the project if no-one was going to see it.

“It’s the principle of what we’re doing for the ratepayers.”

Christison suggested putting up CCTV cameras in the tunnel.

“We’ve got cameras everywhere else. Why haven’t we got cameras down there to catch the problem?”

The subway is in a beautiful area, but is often the target of tagging. Photo / Leanne Warr

Board member Terry Hynes spoke up in support of the project.

“The subway has always been [...] an area where all sorts of obscene activities have carried on.”

He said there was a need to upgrade the area, adding that with the obscene language painted on parts of tunnel, it wasn’t a good look for the community.

“It’s an area which we could make a point of interest. It is an area which we can do a lot with, and I think we’ve got to continue to look at that.”

Councillor Erana Peeti-Webber said there was evidence to show that doing something like the mural meant people had more appreciation for it and there was less tagging.

She suggested getting a price for cameras and investigating the lighting in the tunnel as part of the project.

Chairman Pat Walshe moved that the board waited until they had more information on costings before moving forward.