Galway Co.Co./ Environment/ Fire Prevention / Fire Stations / Galway Fire Station (Contin File no. 1):

File of correspondence between architects, contractors, insurance company, Galway County Council and others

relating to the completion of the build project, the official opening of the station, dampness in adjacent houses

and protracted correspondence relating to the issue of the final accounts. Includes,  

-Copy letter from Dermot O’Toole, Architect, to P Harrington, expressing dissatisfaction with the progress of works at the Fire Station, stating ‘The County Manager is very displeased with the progress of the work and I myself fail to understand why the work is proceeding at such a slow rate’ (11 Apr 1956).

-Correspondence between the Co. Manager and O’Toole (Architect) relating to an official opening (Aug 1956), opening to be performed by the Minister for Local Government, P O’Donnell, also in attendance were Rev Dr Browne, Bishop of Galway, Fire Advisory Committee members, the opening followed by lunch at the Great Southern Hotel (25 Sept 1956), also include invitations lists, various letters of acceptance (Oct 1956);

-Proposal to sale 2 sq perches of the Garryglass site to the Dominican Church Authorities, the Claddagh, Galway for £1 (3 Sept 1956) (for extension to burial ground which adjoins the plot);

-Estimated cost for furniture and equipment for the new Station, amounting to £332 (5 Sept 1956)

-Letter from Chief Fire Officer (CFO), P B Sugrue, to B Shiel, Insurance Corporation of Ireland, confirming he took over possible of the new fire station on 3^rd December 1956 (4 Dec 1956);

-Letter from CFO to D O’Toole, Architect, advising of some issues are not complete in the new station, such as heating and electrical contracts not quite finished (3 Dec 1956), and further correspondence relating to ongoing issues (see for instance 8 Jan 1957);

-Copy letter from CFO to the Co. Secretary advising that the station is ‘being used for Civil Defence instruction which is attended by men and women volunteers, the erection of suitable toilet accommodation is recommended for the female volunteers.  This proposal was mentioned to the Architect previously who shelved it because of the stoppage of work and the change of contactors, and because it would be very difficult to have the work done economically...’ (8 Aug 1957);

-Correspondence relating to John McNally & Co Ltd., in voluntary liquidation, such as letter from Ryan, Troy & Co., seeking the release of plant held on the Fire Station site (3 Apr 1957);

-Letter from the Co. Medical Officer (MacCon) to the CFO (Sugrue) relating to the dampness in the houses attached to the Fire Station, which were in his opinion ‘unfit for human habitation’ (29 Jan 1958);

-Letter from W J McHugh, Order of Malta (St Helena’s, Taylor’s Hill, Galway) to C I O’Flynn, Co. Manager, thanking him for permission to use the lecture hall in the Fire Station for training purposes, ‘It is men like yourself that have made it possible for the Order of Malta to survive down through the dark ages to the present date’ (20 Sept 1958);

-Correspondence between GCC, the architect (O’Toole), the liquidator (Troy), The Insurance Corporation of Ireland (Harrington), and others relating to the long delay in obtain Final Accounts (such as 11 Nov 1958)

-Final Account for the Fire Station at Garryglass, Galway, issued by Desmond MacGreevey, Chartered Quantity Surveyor, total cost £25,083.13.6 (Apr 1959)

-Copy letter from Harrington, The Insurance Corporation of Ireland to O’Toole (Architect) stating ‘As we pointed out to you at the time Messrs McNally ceased operation, work to the value of approximately £12,000 had been completed, this despite the fact that the allotted time for completion had been exceeded by some two months.  We think it is only reasonably to assume that had McNallys not met with their unfortunate difficulties and had they been in a position to complete the contract they would have requested and been granted a reasonably extension...’ (16 Feb 1960); and

-Letter from O’Toole to Co. Secretary advising ‘The question of whether an allowance should be made for the delay in restarting the contract when interrupted by the liquidation is a matter difficult to determine but the County Manager may consider that some allowance might be made in this regard. I would say that, if there had bee no difficulty about our non-approval of the first Contractor recommended by the Insurance Corporation, the job could have been restarted within 2 months, at the most, of its cessation.  I should say that this latter time would have covered Mr McGreevy’s work in measuring the amount of work done then’ (20 April 1960);

-Copy letter from the Co. Manager to O’Toole (Architect) stating , ‘I am extremely annoyed to find that no finality has been achieved in relation to the final accounts of Galway Fire Station’.
Apart from the shelters at Salthill, this is the only architectural work which you have handled on behalf of the Galway County Council, and candidly I am disappointed in that you have not given it more attention…’ (29 Jun 1960); and

-Copy letter from the Insurance Corporation of Ireland to O’Toole (Architect) indicating ‘We confirm that we are prepared to settle all claims which the Galway County Council may have against the Corporation arising out of the completion of the Contractor for a sum of £1,000 and in addition that we will forego our claim for the balance of £818.9.4d due to this Corporation on the basis of the final account prepared by the Quantity Surveyor’ (24 Oct 1960).