Galway businesses may be called on to provide sponsorship and support to help City Hall maintain critical services and develop key projects - if a motion, to come before the next city council meeting, receives backing from councillors.
Fine Gael councillor and deputy mayor Pearce Flannery will submit a motion to the next Galway City Council on Monday July 4. He announced his intention to submit the motion at yesterday's council meeting, and has called for the "unanimous support from all councillors to get this initiative rolling".
Cllr Flannery's motion will seek to empower the local authority to "avail of sponsorship and financial support" from the Galway business community, "for the development and maintenence of key projects for the city", such as the renovation of the Blackrock diving tower, as well as the restoration of heritage infrastructure such as the Browne Doorway.
"We could get the presentation and maintenance of individual roundabouts sponsored and make them iconic structures in themselves," he said. "The possibilities are endless and the impact on our community would be huge.”
According to the councillor, "numerous business leaders" in Galway whom he has approached with this idea, have "without exception expressed an interest in this initiative".
"A local blue chip business wants to provide financial support for the renovation of the Blackrock diving tower," he said. "They also offered up to 1,000 man hours of voluntary labour as part of their corporate social responsibility programme."
He is also calling on the banks and financial institutions to step up to the plate and become involved in community development initiatives such as this as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
