Cork City Council spends over €300,000 on restoring a Fireman’s Rest

Olivia Kelleher

Cork City Council has defended spending €326,550 on the restoration of a 120-year-old Fireman’s Rest, which consists of a small hut which was at one time manned 24/7 by a firefighter with a ladder and hose near by.

The Opinion Line with PJ Coogan, on Cork’s 96FM, submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to establish the exact price of the restored structure which previously stood on St Patrick’s Street for a century.

This led to on-air criticism from some city politicians who deemed the costs to be excessive.

Cork Labour councillor Peter Horgan said that it is “absolutely mad” that so much money was spent on the restoration process.

“It is absolutely insane that that is the cost for the Fireman’s Rest. As an elected representative I haven’t been given those figures. I will raise this matter with the executive. I will say ‘what is the justification for the costings?

"I put an FOI in on it two years ago and it was around €150,000 to €200,000 at the time.

"It is something that is not even really usable.”

Cork Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn said that it was scandalous to spend so much money on a structure which is “the size of a garden shed.”

“When I think what it could achieve for the people of Cork city. I am talking about people who are waiting for stair lifts, who are waiting for conversions, additional bathrooms, walk in showers, elderly people, people who are waiting on the housing list.

"This is exactly the same rubbish we saw in Leinster House with the bicycle shed costing €336,000.

"This is the size of the average garden shed. That is appalling. We haven’t been furnished with a full breakdown of costs.

"I do understand that there was something else attached to it in a sense of they were making a documentary. I am not sure that Sky or Netflix are going to buy the documentary rights of a shed being re-erected. That is not good value for money.”

The restored structure is now in place outside the fire station in Anglesea Street in Cork. It had book marked St Patrick Street from 1904 until 2002, when it was removed as part of the revamp of the city centre public realm. It was stored in a depot for two decades.

The structure was initially assembled for Cork Fire Brigade but it was also used by staff of a tram company and later by CIE.

Meanwhile, in a statement Cork City Council said that the building has a strong link with the working people of Cork due to its use by firemen, tram company staff, and bus workers.

“Over the decades, repeated public requests to refurbish the Fireman’s Rest were made to Cork City Council by local historians, former fire brigade and CIE workers. However, funding was not available as it would require detailed and costly specialist work.

"The ongoing Decade of Centenaries was viewed as a dual opportunity firstly to restore this unique piece of our city’s heritage which had fallen into serious disrepair, and secondly to recognise the role of the City’s Fire Brigade in protecting Corkonians and its environs since 1877, with special mention of its heroic role during the Burning of Cork in 1920.

"Funding from the programme was set aside over a number of years to fund this legacy project.”

The statement added that the project was based upon a “competitively tendered works package.”

“It involved the careful, skilled dismantling of the existing structure, transport for stripping, blasting and casting of new panels, extensive repair of cracked cast iron panels, working with wrought iron, lead roofing and stonemasonry to the new cut limestone plinth to replicate the initial scheme.

“The refurbishment of the Fireman’s Rest necessitated a standard of conservation craftmanship that most general construction contractors do not possess.

The total sum payable to Queenstown Restoration for the restoration of the Fireman’s Hut was €214,550 while enabling works cost €112,000. The project was subject to a competitive tendering process and therefore prices are reflective of the market prices for such skills and experience.”