Businessman offers flowerboxes

Local businessman Brian Fallon has offered to pay for window boxes for the upper stories of buildings on the Main Street, as part of a plan to brighten up the town in summer.

The owner of Fallons Bar & Cafe made the offer at the recent meeting of Kilcullen Community Action. He said it would be a 'one-off' contribution, on the basis that the people who received the window boxes would maintain them. They would come with flowers already planted.

The offer prompted a lively discussion on the logistics of putting the plan in place, as well as the necessity for daily watering of the boxes.

Ray Kelly said that an automatic watering system could be provided on some parts of the street, if the owners of buildings consented.

Brian Fallon said it was the success of the floral displays on the bridge last year that gave him the impetus to take it further.

"I had already planned to put boxes on the upper floor of my own premises, and then I drove through the town and did a rough estimate of what it would take to do it all. I drove through a small town in Galway last year where it had been done and it made a great impression.

KCA chairman Kieron Forde said they would have to get a plan for the project organised in the next week. A number of people present agreed to visually survey the town and report back next Monday.

Meanwhile, the meeting was told that Sammy Cole has once again agreed to sponsor the floral displays on the bridge. The baskets are already with the flower supplier.

Ray Kelly noted that there was still a problem with the automatic watering system which had been installed as part of the bridge refurbishment. A leak somewhere under the footpath still hadn't been attended to.

He said he'd do a pressure test during the week to see what was required to make it work.

Kieron Forde said he hoped that it didn't end up like last year, when Ray and Noel Clare had to manually water the overhead baskets every day.

Brian Byrne.