THE proposal for a giant chess set by the Wollundry Lagoon was voted down by Wagga City Council last night but two regular-sized sets look likely to be installed on park tables.
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Councillor Clint Uden has been driving the move which he said would be a popular activity for residents, and he again spruiked the move last night.
But staff have shot down the proposal for an over-sized set, saying there isn’t room to store the pieces and they could be subject to vandalism.
“The library does not have the capacity for administering and storage of the giant chess pieces. A full set is quite space consuming and costly,” the council report reads.
Councillors on the Environment and Community Standing Committee last night agreed with staff and the sets will likely only be installed in existing park benches in the Victory Memorial Gardens.
Staff pointed out an existing older, faded giant chess board made from tiles in the Victory Memorial Gardens.
“I’ll be putting an amendment up (at the full council meeting later this month) to have the existing outdoor board replaced,” Cr Uden said.
Cr Uden also called for the reintroduction of an old system whereby the chess pieces were stored in a garden shed and residents could hire them.
He may also move to have this amendment passed later this month, but council staff warned there were access issues last time this was done.
The final decision on the chess sets –and whether Cr Uden’s amendments pass – with be made at the council meeting later this month.
