By Dan Walsh at Wexford Arts Centre
Minister Peter Burke, T.D., Minister of State at Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage performed the official opening of the new extension to Wexford Arts Centre in the presence of the Mayor of Wexford, Cllr Maura Bell, this afternoon.
It was a celebratory occasion with contributions by Minister Burke, Mayor Bell, Elizabeth Whyte, CEO Wexford Arts Centre, Sean Meyler, Project Manager, Rosemary Hartigan and Tom Enright, CEO Wexford County Council and a member of the Board of Wexford Arts Centre.
Wexford Arts Centre has been enlarged with a €2.6 million extension.
The project at Cornmarket in the town centre was funded to the tune of €1 million by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media with Wexford County Council which owns the protected Arts Centre building funding €1.6 million of the cost.
The renovation project has been a slow development having been forced to shelve previous refurbishment plans back in 2008 due to a lack of Government funding following the economic crash.
The renovation project which required the closure of the Arts Centre for the interior work, was designed by ODKM Architects of Dublin and incorporates a new entrance, additional gallery and workshop space and upgraded facilities including dressing rooms and toilets.
There is disabled access to all areas of the historic building for the first time, with the installation of a new lift.
The contract was awarded to McKellen Construction of Macmine, Bree, and was originally scheduled to be completed by April 2022 but was delayed due to Covid restrictions. Sean Meyler of Wexford County Council was the Project Manager for the works.
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