What cost can you put on fun? Breaking down the numbers for Summer in the City

WHAT price should Limerick Council put on fun and frolics?Well, following a question from Fianna Fáil councillor...

Well, following a question from Fianna Fáil councillor Catherine Slattery at last month’s Metropolitan area meeting regarding the cost of Summer in the City, an August of activities in the Treaty City will set you back €233,908.

However, Mayor John Moran believes that the cash figures revealed by the Council “will never capture all of the hours volunteered by residents who helped plan, run, and tidy up after events all through the month and spread the word to friends near and far”.

The executive Mayor takes the view that Limerick’s taxpayers got very good value with the installation of Summer in the City’s urban beach at Steamboat Quay costing €12,500, €53,000+ for traffic management, and a further €8-10K for fixing the Crescent fountain.

“The temporary changes to public realm and animation created a new welcome dynamic on our streets, especially for residents and visitors and help our city centre businesses in the process. It also achieved the purpose of showing with temporary trials the impact of some of the changes I am proposing in the public realm and mobility plans out for consultation at the moment,” Mayor Moran explained.

“The success of the summer gave a little nudge of final comfort to the private investors who have since announced significant hotel investment plans in Bedford Row and opposite Arthur’s Quay shopping centre and to those opening new activities like Kelly’s Breath Better Yoga in the refurbished Clarkes on Thomas Street, Dalton’s soon to open new Rift on Thomas Street, and Shane’s (Gleeson) new coffee shop in the long vacant shop beside his Spar at the corner of Catherine Street and Glentworth Street.”

Mayor Moran encouraged councillors to keep asking questions about public monies as the public is entitled to know the answers. However he claimed Cllr Catherine Slattery, who raised the question at last month’s Metropolitan area meeting, had “taken a position to oppose an initiative from the outset”.

The current provisional budgeted cost of the complete Summer in the City programme at the time of Cllr Slattery’s question was estimated by the officials to be €233,908.20. That, our first citizen pointed out, is a budget uplift of €93,908 on the original allocation of €140,000 from the mayoral fund.

The Mayor said that the “uplift is not caused by unexpected cost overruns”.

“I made the conscious decision to provide that additional funding when it became clear in late July that there was scope for and indeed a need especially responding to additional community interest for its scale and variety to be expanded and to address weaknesses in the original budget that threatened the quality and delivery of the programme”.

He added: “I think everyone will agree that that has proven to be the right decision and has given the result we all wanted.”

“I am considering doing likewise now for Christmas to accelerate the improvements we anticipated could only occur next year over our three year plan as we might have some unanticipated savings from elsewhere to spend before year end.”

The full costings breakdown for Summer in the City shows €4,000 spent on asphalt to kerb edge, €8,800 on out-of-hours infrastructure, maintenance, repairs, and inspections, €10,000 on design, procurement and delivery of the urban beach, and €2,500 on the procurement of deck chairs and parasols.

A further €6,000 was spent on power-washing the urban beach, €3,000 on publishing intention notices, €1,700 on launch event including venue and photography, €10,000 on marketing and branding, €1,000 on photography, €35,000 on community open call and €15,000 on the obstacle course for the world relay.

On top of that, €3,000 was spent on the TAFISA European Sport for All Games, €5,000 on the World Frisbee Siege, €16,800 on professional street theatre animation, €7,500 on the long table event, €7,380 on an event controller/community coordinator, €6,765 on an event management plan, €9,225 on additional community coordinator, and €9,000 on nighttime economy activations.

The traffic management plan and operations cost €53,498, with replacement of materials for the urban beach costing €2,000.

A total of €1,000 went to Mid West Mentoring, €246 to the John Loftus Charity Run, €861 for table tennis, €200 for bats, balls, and nets, €922 for barbecue supplies, €180 for artificial grass, €1,000 for a Limerick Chamber event, €850 for Friendship Day, €600 for trad music, €600 for charity walk, and €10,000 on discretionary spending.

Mayor Moran deemed Summer in the City “ambitious” before suggesting that improvement does not come without change and “change brings risk”.

“But when innovation works, we get the courage to keep trying.

“The project brought thousands of people into public spaces, supported major events, created new experiences for families and demonstrated what our city can become when we are prepared to try something different. Importantly, it brought smiles to the faces of so many kids and with them their parents and gave so many more of our children summer holiday stories to share when they returned to school – even if their parents were not able to afford trips to Kilkee, Ballybunion, or Lanzarote.”

The Mayor say that people “can look forward to planning even more for 2027 knowing that there is a real appetite now in Limerick for a similar, even enhanced programme next year”.

Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan said she will always welcome events and investment in public spaces that bring people into the city. However, she cited concerns over transparency and accountability for public money spent during Summer in the City.

“The original allocation was €140,000 and we are now being told the provisional budget was €233,908. Councillors and the public should be able to see clearly what was actually spent, who received funding, and which funding streams were used,” Cllr O’Donovan insisted.

“We also need a wider conversation about how we sustainably fund festivals, arts, and events in Limerick. Much of Summer in the City involved temporary installations and activities. I think we now need to look at what permanent investment in public spaces, amenities, and places for people to gather can come alongside our events programme,” she added.

Fine Gael councillor Peter Doyle welcome the Mayor’s summer initiative, taking the view that it brought activity and people into Limerick City across August, which is traditionally a quiet time in our great city.

“I welcome repairs to the Crescent fountain adjacent to the Daniel O’Connell monument as this is a nice attraction in our city centre. I would also welcome if Mayor would consider repairs to Tait Clock in nearby Baker Place as at present the clock is only showing the correct time twice in a day,” Cllr Doyle said.

The City East representative maintained that the beach concept worked much better located on Steamboat Quay, bringing activities towards the River Shannon.

“I would prefer if the Crescent area at top of O’Connell street was only closed to traffic on Saturday and Sundays during August, or better, relocate the activities to Pery Square. It is unfair, in my view, on the businesses located in or near the Crescent to close it to cars and parking Monday to Friday,” Cllr Doyle commented.

He strongly recommend that all loading bays be open to car parking from 12 noon daily at normal parking fee rates during Summer in the City.

“We need more initiatives to bring shoppers and people into our city centre and support retail, restaurants and pubs. We have some fantastic pubs and shops in Limerick and if we do not support them, there is little point in complaining when they are gone.”

Aontú councillor Sarah Beasley said she was the first councillor to publicly back the beach at Steamboat Quay, when criticism was at its loudest.

“This was a real first for Limerick, a full month of activity across the city that welcomed international events and finished with a long table celebration on the Crescent. The beach cost far less than was being claimed, and the figures published so far suggest good value for the programme as a whole.

“Not everything went perfectly, but it was great to see so much of the early negativity fade by the end of August as so many people had a great time.”

Independent councillor Ursula Gavan told the Limerick Post that the local authority and councillors are constantly urged by residents and businesses to invest more in creating a vibrant welcoming city.

“Summer in the City has a part to play in this. With leadership, ambition, and a willingness to try new ideas, it can develop further into the future. That being said, it should be evaluated properly and demonstrate value for money. I have asked for clarification on the traffic costing, marketing, management and coordinating costs, and am awaiting a response,” Cllr Gavan revealed.

Cllr Maria Donoghue (IND) deemed Summer in the City a very positive initiative that brought people into Limerick’s public spaces.

“Spaces with cafés, restaurants, or homes nearby tended to be busier throughout the day and into the evening, especially where local businesses and clubs got involved,” Cllr O’Donoghue aid.

“This shows how working together can bring public spaces to life, and how willing people are to take part in city life when given the chance. The evening events on The Crescent, particularly towards the end of August, were very popular and showed what Limerick can do. Given that most of the events took place later in the day and at weekends, it may be worth considering whether the Crescent could remain open to traffic for limited periods at quiet times.”

She said that the cost of running these events raises questions around whether they can be sustained long term, but acknowledged that the budget for Summer in the City compared favourably to the budget for Riverfest and St Patrick’s Day.

“We need to look at how The Crescent can build on its success, while also considering other spaces for future Summer in the City programmes. I believe Limerick is a city worth investing in, and that investing in our public spaces can bring people together, build civic pride, and make the city a better place to live, work, and visit,” she said.

Mayor Moran reminded Council members that Summer in the City was designed to bring life into non-traditional parts of the city centre. The idea, he maintains, was simple – choose geographically separated areas, try out new approaches for each, and see the month develop hopefully with people walking from area to area which would emphasise the sense of a city coming alive in an otherwise “dead” summer holiday month.

“People walking from point to point also increases the footfall for businesses all over the city from Steamboat Quay to High Street and over to Nicholas Street and helps prove the approach in our new public realm and mobility strategies as well as the civic spine we are creating from King John’s Castle along O’Connell Street up to the Crescent,” the Mayor wrote on his blog.

The summer programme included the temporary beach at Steamboat Quay, the Glentworth Street garden, activities at the Crescent and St John’s Square, Nicholas Street, and Back Lane, and support for other major events taking place in the city, including the Docklands concerts and the Irish skateboard championships.

“The effect achieved was an overall sense that Limerick had come alive for August and people all over the country watching and complimenting a different Limerick summer. Many people’s bond with the city was re-established in ways reminiscent of when the Three Bridges walk first became popular,” the Mayor said.

“This was my first time trying out something this ambitious. I will be the first to admit that the programme was not perfectly executed … But when you try different things and take risks, you will not get everything right straight away.

“When issues emerged, I had a choice: allow the programme to struggle on or intervene and make additional funding available to solve issues so it could be delivered properly. I chose delivery.

“In making those decisions, I was also aware of very significant savings the team’s choices were providing us compared to the original plans and these more than compensated for the additional allocations,” he continued.

Limerick’s first citizen also hit out at “keyboard warriors” guilty of a great deal of inaccurate speculation surrounding the temporary beach.

“Some people have chosen to make unfair assertions about a waste of €40,000 of taxpayer monies for a beach – using a figure I assume derived from 2024, although incorrectly so because the 2024 cost of €46,601 related to the full programme of activities at the Crescent. That figure was not simply the cost of the trial beach installation of that summer. Other keyboard warriors even put the cost of this year’s beach at more than €100,000 for dramatic effect.

“The facts are that I have been advised that the direct installation cost of the beach itself came within the budget of €12,500. True, in advance, a long-overdue and much needed deep-clean power-washing of the entire area was undertaken at a cost of €6,000 but that is something that we should have been doing in any event for the residents and businesses there.”