Bill to bury cables on Austin Friars St would be €350,000

To have the overhead wiring at Austin Friars Street removed and installed underground would cost “in excess of” €350,000 Cllr Bill Collentine, the mayor, was told when he raised the subject with officials at the January meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

Cllr Collentine’s request was that the authority write to the ESB to ask if there is a plan in place to put overhead wiring underground at Austin Friars Street.

By way of response, officials responded that the undergrounding of the ESB overhead network in Austin Friars Street would have to be paid for by Westmeath County Council and it would cost in excess of €350,000.

As a consequence the response explained, appropriate grant funding would be required.

Cllr Collentine admitted that he was surprised at the response, because, as far as he was aware, there was already ducting in the street, and that it must therefore have been the intention at some stage to- place the wires underground.

“It’s the only street that does not have the wires underground,” he continued, stating that he considered the work to be necessary.

Director of services Martin Murray responded that it was correct to assert that ducting had been installed, but from the point of view of the ESB, the current infrastructure was “adequate and functional”.

As the work would have purely an aesthetic motivation, the full bill would fall on Westmeath County Council, and there would be no contribution from the ESB.

Canal lights

Also raised as an issue at the meeting by Cllr Collentine were the lights on the Royal Canal between Market Point and Harbour Bridge that were not working.

The response from the executive stated that the problem would be investigated.

“No reports have been received about this extent of lights not working. There are four lights adjacent to Loreto that have no energy supply. The Public Lighting contractor is investigating the extent of the work required here to energise these lights again,” Cllr Collenine was informed.

Russellstown

Cllr Collentine also asked that the municipal district include in the 2021 Estimates the resurfacing of sections of Russellstown Road up to the Vilanstown junction on the L1024.

The reply from the council officials stated that the work can be considered in the context of the 2021 Estimates.