This article is from page 16 of the 2013-09-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
CLARE County Council has abandoned a policy which has, in the past, seen one per cent of the money invested on major infrastructure projects being used for public arts works at the locations of the project.
It emerged at yesterday’s September meeting of Clare County Council that the local authority is employing a new strategy, which allows the council to pool the one per cent “arts money” associated with major infrastructure. The money is then used to fund arts projects in the general area of a major infrastructure projects rather than a single visual arts project at the location.
This change of policy came to light following a motion put forward by Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind). While commending the work of county Arts Officer, Siobhan Mulcahy, Cllr Curtin said there was an “omission” concerning the € 17 million sewage schemes for Quilty, Mullagh, Feakle and Scariff.
These schemes, which were completed in 2011, should have resulted in € 170,000 in arts projects.
“There has been an omission in the answer. I am alluding to the schemes completed in 2011 in Quilty, Mullagh, Feakle and Scariff. I am concerned as to what has been done to mark the scheme in the east and west of the county,” he said.
Responding to Cllr Curtin, director of Services Bernadette Kinsella said that “rather than advocate the one percent for arts, it is the council policy to pool the funds for a more strategic use”. She also indicated that “significant” projects would be forwarded in the east and west of the county next year.
It is not clear if this one per cent funding from infrastructure projects will be used to fund projects that, in the past, would have been funded from other sources.
Overall Arts Council finding for Clare has fallen dramatically over the last five years.