They call it the ‘Woodside Fountain Gateway.’ It’s not the snappiest of titles and the immediate question is: gateway to where? But it is good to see some resources being spent on Woodside, and, at first glance, it seems like an imaginative idea, one that combines Woodside’s history with a modern art project.
They intend to reinstate Woodside’s historic landmark the Fountain to its original position by the present-day Fountain bar. The Fountain lamppost was a destination for many a bus and tram passenger in days of old and has long languished among the bushes by Fountain Grange. Then to surround it with a series of sculptures, a small garden and seating.
But the Gateway project itself, on the other hand, is not without its critics. Labour councillor Mr. Tauqeer Malik lamented that resources were being spent on this project, while the Woodside library has been closed. He said that ‘We don’t have much in Woodside, the library is the only space that is open to all and is the centre of the community’.
It’s an argument that has some force, especially when we consider the relatively small sum that is being saved by closing the library, (estimated at £32,000). Indeed, it doesn’t seem to make much sense to spend such a large sum on an art project (£155,000) in these cash strapped times.
And yet surely, we are not faced with such an either/or. The closure of the library is irrational in itself. Its use as an educational resource by the nearby primary school alone justifies its existence. Woodside has been long starved of investment and the reopening of the library should not be linked to this innovative project.
There have been mixed opinions on the project from Woodside residents. One resident, Margaret Aisbitt said “It is welcome idea to reposition the Woodside Fountain to its original site. But I’m not sure how I feel about the poles and the amount of Space needed for the project, in such a small area.”
While Abeer Eladany said “I wasn’t aware of any consultation for this going on in Woodside. I knew of the similar project going ahead in Tillydrone and was aware of their consultation, however I don’t recall Woodside residents being consulted for the Woodside Gateway.
“I like the idea of the project, but I would have liked to have seen the sculptures for the poles designed by Woodside artists and had more input from the community involved.”
The construction of the feature will begin on the 21st of July and will take up to six weeks to install.
Author: Dougie Thomson