This article is from page 18 of the 2012-09-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
ENNIS could literally turn green next March as part of proposals put forward to celebrate St Patrick’s Day 2013.
Ennis Town Council is to investigate the possibility of dying the River Fergus green as part of the ‘Green the Town’ initiative.
The proposal was tabled by Cllr Mary Howard (FG) as part of a motion at yesterday’s council meeting.
Cllr Howard called for the council, in conjunction with local businesses and venues, to ‘Green the Town’ by illuminating buildings with green filters and lights and hanging hundreds of Irish flags.
Cllr Howard told the meeting that businesses are very keen on the idea.
She said that in a year when Ennis celebrates the 25th anniversary of its twinning arrangement with Phoenix, Arizona, the green plans would help capture attention and generate plenty of publicity for the town.
Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine (FF) backed the motion. However Cllr Frankie Neylon (FG) questioned if the council could justify the cost of turning Ennis green when it has had to cut back on other vital services. Cllr Howard said there would be very little cost to the council, adding that green filters cost just € 12.
Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind) suggested that councillors pay for the cost with their expenses.
In response to Cllr Howard’s motion, town clerk Leonard Cleary stated that the technical staff of the council will research the feasibility of the project.
He continued, “With regard to turning the River Fergus green, there are non-toxic dye products that are used for tracing water courses that could be used for this purpose. The river through the town is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and consultation will be required with other agencies. The council are trying to ascertain the cost of these products as the quantities required would be larger than normally used for dye tracing. The council will respond once the information is received.”