A further €1.5 million in government funding is being sought for the new Portlaoise library, with Laois County Council unwilling to allow its finances be put at risk by the project.
At the monthly meeting of the council, the Part 8 public consultation process of the project was approved, but only after reassurances were given that it would not impact on the council’s budget.
The council will now publish its proposals and invite submissions from the public.
Director of services Donal Brennan said the Part 8 agreement is part of the planning process which allows them to proceed and have a plan in place, should additional funding become available from the Department of the Environment.
Cllr Willie Aird raised concerns over a shortfall of €1.5 million, as the cost of the project has risen significantly from its initial estimate.
Mr Brennan said it was outlined at the last monthly meeting the amount of money committed to the project by the council, and “we are looking for the department to fund the balance of it”.
The council will not be committing in excess of funding already agreed.
Funding
“We have written to the department looking for additional funding. We are ready to start, should additional funding become available,” Mr Brennan said.
“We do not have €5 million,” Cllr Aird said. He said it would be up to the senior politicians in the county to push the case on funding.
He said if funding isn’t available then they should scale back the project to around €3 million.
“€1 million a year is needed to build houses,” he said.
€5 Million is a huge amount of money. We have never drawn down that amount of debt,” he said.
“There is no question that the project will put the council’s finances at risk,” CEO John Mulholland said.
So far the council has been allocated a grant of €1.65 million. He estimated the project will cost around €5 million, including the cost of purchasing the site.
Construction
“Construction costs could be about €3 million,” he said. After this, internal fittings, books and computer bays will be about €1.5 million.
“There is no question the council’s finances will be put at risk,” he repeated. “We are not going to proceed unless we get additional funding,” he said.
He said the Part 8 Process is “a very important step and a very positive step”.
There is a huge need for a library, said Cllr Mary Sweeney, who works in the Portlaoise Library. “We are currently in a building which has outgrown its purpose,” she said.
“I would sincerely love to see it happen, but not at the expense of any other department,” she said.
Welcoming the clarification from the CEO, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said every councillor is in favour of a new library being built.
“Housing is a major priority for us,” she said, with almost 1,500 now on the housing waiting list.
She requested at the last meeting that they seek additional funding, and she was glad to see that this is being done.
Cllr Aird asked were they going to give the project another 12 to 18 months to see if additional funding is available. “After that we should go back to the drawing board,” he said.
“Every political party which has a TD should impress on them how important the library is,” Cllr Noel Tuohy said.
