Sir, - Now that the proposed spire in O'Connell Street has been "spiked" and a new city council has been elected, may I suggest that Dublin Corporation focus on some more down-to-earth ways of marking the new millennium:
1. Clean the streets of the city centre and the inner suburbs - for years they have been disgracefully dirty. If Corporation staff cannot do the job, then employ contractors and pay them when the streets are actually clean.
2. Put pressure on the Heritage Service (Duchas) to complete the restoration of the city stretch of the Royal Canal, many sections of which are still a filthy mess. It could and should be one of the city's finest amenities.
3. Promote the restoration of Broadstone Station (one of the finest building in Dublin) and the landscaping of the surrounding area. For four years, a local community group has campaigned relentlessly for this project but it now seems to have been put on the bureaucratic long finger. Coinciding with the new millennium, the building will be 150 years old next year - an ideal time to achieve the restoration.
So, get on with it, Dublin Corporation. As one of our politicians recently said, there won't be another millennium in our lifetime! - Yours, etc.,
Jerry Crowley, Fontenoy Street, Broadstone, Dublin 7.