Council to decide future of wrecked SES mural within weeks

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council will make a decision within weeks on the future of the partially-destroyed, three-storey mural on Hume St.

MISSING PARTS: Fintan Magee's First Coat mural on the SES building wall in Hume St car park is falling to pieces . Friday Nov 11, 2016. Picture: Nev Madsen

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council will make a decision within weeks on the future of the partially-destroyed, three-storey mural on Hume St.

The Fintan Magee piece, painted on the side of the SES building last year in honour of volunteers during the 2011 floods, is still in tatters after large pieces of the wall render fell off.

As a result, council was forced to remove giant sections of the render for public safety, which has left the mural incomplete.

Cr Geoff McDonald, who holds the property services portfolio, said council was monitoring the condition of the building and would make a decision soon.

"Council's first priority is to ensure public safety," he said.

"Any concrete render that was not adhering to the sub-structure initially was removed, however this could change over time.

"Council officers will continue to inspect the structure to assess the state of the concrete render.

"Council will be reviewing details for the 2017 First Coat festival in the coming month."

While the mural was painted under the banner of the famous First Coat Festival, event curator Grace Dewar pointed out it was council who had commissioned the piece and therefore had to make the decision.

"Council is one of our platinum partners and they've commissioned the piece," she said back in November.

"I hope that council has the interests of the community in mind enough to restore it.

"Fintan would most certainly come back and restore that, time permitting."

MISSING PARTS: Fintan Magee's SES mural on Hume St, which has been partially destroyed. Picture: Nev Madsen

Originally published as Council to decide future of wrecked SES mural within weeks