Sunday, March 25, 2007

The Latest News from Ballymore Eustace Tidy Towns Group.

More Help Required!!!
Following our appeal in the January edition of the Bugle, we have received welcome offers of additional help and support for the Tidy Towns activities in Ballymore. Laura Barrett, Gary Deegan, and John White have volunteered their services. They join our small existing group of Maeve Cummins, Anne Langan, Jimmy Pearse, Mary & Eric Firth. However, WE NEED YET MORE HELP, and the Chairman’s position is still vacant! If the help is not forthcoming the work and success of the group will be severely curtailed or cease altogether – to the detriment of the village.

More Trees for National Tree Week
Ballymore Tidy Towns group have applied to KCC for more trees for planting around the village during National Tree Week, which runs from 4th to 11th March. Martin Deegan and his team have already planted many trees around the village, both on the approach roads and by the River Walk, and the more the merrier!

Approach to Kildare County Council on Matters of Concern.
On the instigation of Tony Maher of Celbridge Tidy Towns, a number of Tidy Towns associations in County Kildare, including Ballymore Eustace Tidy Towns group, have joined together to approach Kildare County Council (KCC) – including public representatives and Local Authority managers and administrators - to resolve issues that were of concern to their organisations.

We identified four major areas of concern:
The necessity for a separate and dedicated section of the Local Authority administration with responsibility for the resolution of problems caused by litter and despoiling of the environment.
The necessity for the Local Authority to enforce anti‑litter laws comprehensively and fully.
The lack of adequate provision of bins in public and social areas and the need for more frequent collection of bins, particularly in areas of greater social usage such as those adjacent to fast food outlets.
The necessity to develop a policy that will make planning permissions for building development, particularly in relation to derelict or potentially derelict sites in urban locations, contingent on the developer maintaining such a site in a manner that does not degrade the surrounding environment.

The initiative culminated in a meeting between the Tidy Towns groups and representatives of KCC at the end of January. Resulting from this meeting, KCC undertook the following actions:
Des Page (Director of Environment and Corporate Affairs, KCC) will present to the county councillors a feasibility analysis on the provision of a separate and dedicated section of the Local Authority administration with responsibility for the resolution of problems caused by litter and despoiling of the environment by the end of March 2007.
The council needs to identify location of extant bins and identify where there is demand for more.
A policy of naming and shaming individuals who litter has already been introduced and will be actively continued.
A mobile camera for monitoring illegal dumping would soon come online.
Joe Boland (Director of Transport, KCC) suggested a meeting between Tidy Town groups and the area engineers to share practical local knowledge and discuss solutions to specific problems.
KCC is performing a review of all the derelict sites in the county.

The problems with litter, dumping, and derelict buildings are of particular concern to Ballymore Eustace. Let us hope that KCC stand by their proposed actions and they bear fruit.

Mary Foley Moves On.
Over the past few years Mary Foley, who works for KCC, has been a shining beacon for Tidy Towns groups throughout Kildare. She has worked tirelessly for us and given us strong support and encouragement. Sadly, for us - but well‑deserved for her - she has been promoted and will be involved in forward planning in the county. She will be a tough act to follow.

Eric Firth (ex‑Chairman, Ballymore Eustace Tidy Towns)
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CDA BRIEFS

NO VOLUNTEERS FOR FESTIVAL COMMITTEE – NO FESTIVAL 2007

LIBRARY PROJECT
Under the guidance of Fiona Breslin and the professional skills of Des Kennedy jnr, a model and plans of proposed developed for the Library will be on display at Elizabeth’s Hair Salon from Saturday 17th February for one week. Please be sure to take a look at this community facility which we feel will be of great benefit to the village (if we ever get our hands on the KTK levies).

EASTER RAFFLE
As we urgently need funding for all the CDA sub committees – Tidy Towns, Community Alert, Meals on Wheels, The Resource Centre, Weekly Bingo, River Walk, Friendship Club, please support our Easter Raffle; tickets on sale early March, winners to be drawn Easter weekend. Tickets €1.50 each or book of 4 for €5. WE URGENTLY NEED FUNDING SO PLEASE SUPPORT.

COMMUNITY ALERT
Percy Donnelly, John Hubbard, Ian Coonan and Jim Nolan have already met and organised meeting with Naas Gardai to discuss further a proper Neighbourhood Watch/Community Alert Programme.

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