‘Self-clean’ Spire costs €450,000 ... to clean
Sky high amount revealed as council seeks firm for upkeep
DUBLIN City Council is set to spend €450,000 on cleaning and maintenance services for the Spire over the next five years.
The local authority is seeking tenders from specialised companies to assume responsibility for the upkeep of the 120m monument located on O’connell Street.
The Spire, which was erected in 2003 at a cost of €4.6million, was originally touted as “self-cleaning” as it was designed to allow rain to remove dirt as it flows off it.
However, it has required the services of cleaning and maintenance specialists at a typical cost of between €80,000 and €90,000 each year.
Dublin City Council estimates the cost of these services over the next five years will be
€450,000 plus VAT, tender documents have revealed.
The successful company will be required to maintain the structure and drainage of the Spire, as well as its mechanical and electrical systems.
It will also be responsible for the cleaning and general upkeep of the landmark.
Representatives will be required to attend monthly meetings with the local authority and will oversee works carried out by other specialists and sub-contractors.
The Spire consists of a tapered, hollow, stainless steel tube, which is located over a small basement which houses mechanical and electrical systems, as well as drainage for the bronze apron at street level.
Maintenance personnel access the centre of the Spire from a ladder in the underground chamber and the internal face of the structure accommodates cable trays and other equipment for the 2,000 LED lights at the top.
The tender documents state the electricity supply for the Spire is fed from a second underground chamber around 50 metres north of the monument.
This contains an ESB substation and is accessed via a hatch on the pavement.
Cleaning and maintenance costs have decreased considerably in recent years.
An average of almost €225,000 was spent each year between 2003 and 2011, reports state.
The largest sum was paid in 2007, when €435,432 was shelled out for cleaning and lighting repairs.
Similar works cost €324,868 the following year.
€4.6m How much Dublin
Spire cost when it was built in 2003