A concerned Councillor Charles Kennedy is seeking advice and help from Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce and from local businessman Robert Wilson regarding the need to refurbish Watson’s Fountain in Cowgate, Kirkintilloch.

This is a matter that Councillor Kennedy has been involved in for some considerable time and he is now seriously concerned with the deterioration in the monument itself.

Recently a senior member of East Dunbartonshire Council’s Economic Development team advised of prices for stone washing and repointing with the most competitive price at around £1,198 and the price from a local company £1,833.

However, the email goes on to point out that because of the Council’s paralous financial state no money is available.

Councillor Kennedy commented:-

“It’s absolutely essential that immediate work is carried out to the fountain now before any further deterioration takes place and thereafter we need to look at a planned maintenance programme to bring the whole fountain back to its former glory, particularly the copper friezes. I would also like to hope that with modern technology we could once again restore a water feature to the fountain.

Clearly the sums of money involved at this initial stage are not great and I am just hopeful that the Chamber of Commerce and Robert Wilson, whose commitment to Kirkintilloch is second to none, might be able to point me in the right direction for funding.”

Councillor Kennedy is also raising the need for a small sum of money to be identified to brighten up the shop frontage in Cowgate, Kirkintilloch.

“Again I feel with the expenditure of a little money a huge difference can be made to the shop frontages. The proverbial “lick of paint” would go a long way to brighten up Cowgate and at the same time build on the work I have had done over the last two years, particularly in respect of Regent Gardens and the painting of the ugly columns in Cowgate which were battleship grey and are now comoflaged in a pleasant green. There improvements which I managed to get done a number of years ago did not cost a great deal of money.

In addition, a wonderful gesture of Alistair Morrison, a Milton of Campsie businessman, to stone clean the William Patrick Library free is another compelling reason for seeing what we can do both for Cowgate and for the future of Watson’s Fountain.”

Source: Charles Kennedy  (19/7/2010)