This article is from page 20 of the 2008-01-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
ALMOST a decade after the pro- posal was first mooted, Clare County Council is set to move into its new €27 million headquarters before the end of the month.
Already, the council’s various di- rectorates are making the logistical moves to transfer staff to the new HQ for January 23. Michael McNa- mara & Co builders aim to meet the project deadline of having the new HQ completed by this month. The
council’s former HQ was demolished in June 2006.
The county’s mayor, Cllr Patri- cia McCarthy, said last night: “It is looking very impressive and I’m confident that the council’s Febru- WA Vap 8 Oleco1 BU OTSMM UUM oloms O(o) COMBE OREO CoMDIToAYY Council chamber.
“T would hope that the new head- quarters will act as a focal point, not just for Ennis but for the county. The previous headquarters were dreadful and now for the first time in many years, all the council staff will be
under one roof.”
Cllr McCarthy added: “The new HQ will provide excellent facilities and are a vast improvement on what has gone before.”
The complex deal with Michael McNamara & Co allows the coun- cil to buy back the building over 35 years. Cllr McCarthy said: “It is a complicated deal, but it was the only way the council could achieve the construction of a new headquarters because we couldn’t continue paying the exorbitant rents for offices in En-
eae
She said that the new HQ will be eco-friendly, and she hoped it would act as a one-stop shop for industrial- ists touring Clare.
Over the past two years the Coun- cil’s 900 employees have been based in offices located at various venues resulting in inconvenience for cus- tomers and staff alike.
While the provision of the new headquarters will form just a small part of the McNamara construction portfolio this year, the project will
undoubtedly have some sentimental value for Bernard McNamara, chief executive of Michael McNamara & Co, Ireland’s fourth largest construc- tion company.
The company was established by Bernard’s late father, Michael in the 1940s. Bernard served as a council- lor from 1974 to 1985, when he opted not to run for re-election due to his growing business commitments. He also unsuccessfully contested the 1981 General Election for Fianna Fail, polling 2,676 votes.