Government department to be new tenant for old Tuam library

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN THE old library building on Shop Street in Tuam will be refurbished and renovated as part of a new long term lease being negotiated by Galway Co Council. The red brick building has been left vacant for the past three years since the townâ€â„¢s library services relocated to its purpose-built facility on High Street. Independent Councillor Seán Canney says the new tenant will be the Department of Social Protection, as mooted many months ago by The Herald. He is upbeat about the building being used again. â€Å“The fact that the building is now being put into use is positive for Tuam town centre. It also means that the building will be refurbished and will be maintained in a good condition into the future.[private] â€Å“It is important that the message goes out that Tuam is open for business and this development has the potential to help the town centre to progress,â€Â said Cllr Canney. There has been considerable interest in the vacant building on Shop Street since it became vacant. Representatives of a number of arts and voluntary groups had offered to pay rent on the Co Council-owned property, but the local authority shot down that idea on the grounds that it wouldnâ€â„¢t prove commercially viable. The Council has always been against letting the property on a short term basis and last year the OPW looked at the building as a possible location for government use. Initially the Co Council had intended to sell the large property to help meet the repayments on a debt accrued to build the new council offices and library on High Street. However, the property downturn made any prospect of getting a reasonable sale price unlikely. The building is one of a number in Tuam that was inspected by the OPW in an effort to find suitable accommodation for state-related services. Vibrancy Galway East Deputy Colm Keaveney says it is healthy to see the competing interest in the building and it demonstrates the vibrancy of the community. A range of services around the city and county are dealing with capacity issues following changes in some government departments and the merger of other services. Itâ€â„¢s speculated that some services and their staff will be brought together under the one roof in a number of towns, not just Tuam, over the coming months. â€Å“I have been working on securing a lease for the old library from a government department or agency for some months now and am delighted that it has borne fruit. The building will be used to provide a public service and will generate much-needed footfall on Shop Street and help to revitalise that area. â€Å“It was essential that the building, part of the social capital of the town, remain in public ownership and in public use. â€Å“Enhancing the services available in Tuam has always been an important issue and securing a public service to be run in the old library building will add to the attractiveness of Tuam as a place to live and do business in,â€Â remarked Deputy Keaveney.[/private]