Jim Conroy has put up the Christmas lights in Dungarvan since 1989.  He has always tendered for the job, but this year there was no tender and the contract was given to a much larger firm which looks after street lighting.

Dungarvan is now partially aglow with lights missing, features not working and the town people are not happy. 

Waterford Council need to answer our questions!  Here they are:

1. Why were the Christmas lights in Dungarvan not put out to tender?

2. Who made this decision?

3. If Christmas lighting now falls under public lighting (as stated in local papers by town manager Kieran Kehoe) and 85% of connections are running off public lighting why were the other towns in West Waterford permitted to continue erecting their Christmas lighting in traditional fashion?

4. What price did Killaree lighting quote for this  project?

5. What are these health and safety implications that Kieran Kehoe referred to in the local papers?

6. Why were the killaree lighting contractors permitted to close down streets during business hours when previous contractors were forced to operate after 7pm at night ?

7. Mr kehoe stated that the new contractor had all the necessary equipment and manpower yet the text from the council requested expertise and help - because they were ‘really stuck’. Did killaree lighting ever express an interest in pursuing the Christmas lights contract? Did they have experience in this field? Or was this contract simply landed on them?

8. Where are all the missing lights? O’Connell Street? The causeway (both sides should be lit)? The bus stop to crottys corner in Abbeyside? The lights in the trees in the square and outside the council offices? The Bauble? The projector? Why were the existing lights not mended (angels not working, the tree at the poor mans seat coloured bulbs not lighting, the snow man at pond in Abbeyside not lighting and deer antlers not aglow).

9. When was the decision made and why was the information withheld from the previous contractor by those who had been informed (Dungarvan Aglow Committee, Waterford Council) way back in June?

10. Circular 10/14 was written to provide guidelines which enable small to medium sized enterprises to compete in public procurement, suggesting that lots be subdivided where necessary to enable local tendering - why did waterford council having previously complied with these guidelines suddenly decide to disregard them?