Council to ‘re-energise’ 1 per cent for art scheme

Westmeath County Council chief executive, Barry Kehoe, said the council wants to “re-energise” the ‘one percent for art’ scheme, which sees 1 per cent of the cost of capital infrastructure projects set aside for art works.

Cllr Mick Dollard raised a query on the scheme at the July meeting of the council.

“While a lot of capital works have taken place in around Mullingar in recent years, I can’t see any example now of where the ‘1 per cent’ art is,” he said.

He said the scheme had provided funds for a number of pieces, including the Joe Dolan statue, which was provided via the 1 per cent set-aside following the construction of social housing units and the resource centre at D’Alton Park.

He felt the scheme should be revived, saying it cold help with projects that might attract visitors to see Mullingar.

In his response to Cllr Dollard, Mr Kehoe said that unfortunately the council had been down staff in the arts office for the last while but is working to replenish their numbers, and get the one per cent up and running again.

“Just to say that public art as provided under the one per cent for art scheme can be anything from a statue - as you mentioned - to music or training, or it could be any branch of the arts that could be supported, and we have a committee in place to adjudicate on proposals and deal with them, so hopefully we’ll get more and more activity as the capital programme progresses. But certainly there’s scope to do more there Cllr Dollard. I agree with you,” he concluded.