Ciara Galvin
ciaragalvin@mayonews.ie
The location of the sculpture which will celebrate Westport being crowned as the ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland’, was revealed at last week’s meeting of Westport Town Council. Town architect Simon Wall told the meeting that the site, located at the junction of Peter St and Quay St was chosen for its ‘prominent location’ in the town.
Cllr Myles Staunton (pictured) said he didn’t like the location, adding that it was a ‘dangerous location at the best of times’ and would become increasingly dangerous when people want to view the sculpture.
Cllr Michael McLaughlin found fault with the site due to the overhead power lines at the junction and the cluttered space available and asked the Mr Wall about a location for the sculpture at The Quay. Mr Wall said they wanted people to see the sculpture and that was the reason for the choice of location.
Speaking about the issue, Cathaoirleach Ollie Gannon told the meeting that he had no problem with the selected site as the surrounding area would be revamped as part of the installation of the sculpture.
A budget of €53,000 has been allocated for the commissioning of the sculpture.
The council has launched a competition for artists to submit a proposal for the commission of the sculpture, with the closing date for applications on April 8, 2013. Mr Wall told the Councillors that height was important for the new sculpture and artists should use John O’Callaghan’s successful Irish Times pitch as a brief for the piece.
“We want a creative landmark at this location,” concluded Mr Wall.
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