The Twizel Community Board is considering new surveillance measures for the town centre after repeated vandalism of its community Christmas tree and decorations. Concerns about the vandalism and the need for a long-term surveillance solution were discussed at a board meeting in February, after chairperson Mary Murdoch requested a solution from the council. Murdoch said she was told by the council’s general manager of information, engagement and community development, Chris Clarke, that the IT team had looked into surveillance for the area but found CCTV would be too expensive. “Council staff said that it would be very expensive and there’s privacy issues and a whole lot of things that would make it quite difficult to do, so we’re going to come up with a local solution,” Murdoch said. A Mackenzie District Council spokesperson said Clarke and the IT team had undertaken a high-level, informal assessment of existing surveillance in Twizel but that improvements would not be achievable in a cost-effective way.…