Cleaning of Papal Cross cost €15,000
A CONTROVERSIAL spring clean and repainting of the Papal Cross ended up costing more than €15,000, according to OPW records.
The clean-up of the Phoenix Park monument attracted considerable attention after power-washing took place during the drought in July.
However, internal emails reveal that the Office of Public Works was not aware that water was going to be used in getting the cross ready for this week’s visit.
It was informed however that the repainting job – the first for four years – could not have gone ahead unless the Papal Cross was spotlessly clean.
An internal email explained how washing was an ‘essential part’ of the preparation works to remove ‘built up dirt, grime, and loose materials’. The contractor was also asked for confirmation that the water for cleaning had not been taken from a source in Dublin.
In an email, they said: ‘[We] can confirm that a diesel power washer was used to the clean the cross. Water was drawn from an off-site source that is not affected by the water hose ban.’
A briefing prepared for OPW chairman Maurice Buckley explained however that it was not known in advance that a power wash of the cross was needed. It said: ‘The contractor sourced water outside the Phoenix Park to undertake the cleaning of the Cross and did not advise [us] that he intended to use water prior to painting.’
An invoice for the repainting was received on July 11 for a total of €15,222.50, excluding VAT.