| Minutes of Ballinasloe Town Council meeting - May 2006 |
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| Tuesday, 09 May 2006 | |
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COMHAIRLE BHAILE BÉAL ATHA NA SLUAIGH BALLINASLOE TOWN COUNCIL Minutes of Monthly Meeting held on Tuesday, 9th May, 2006, in the Civic Offices, Ballinasloe, at 7.00 p.m. In attendance (Members): Cllr. Hugh Dolan (Mayor). Cllr. Carmel Grealy. Cllr. Sean Tully. Cllr. Mike Kelly. Cllr. Johnny Walsh. Cllr. John Molloy. Cllr. Pat O’Sullivan. Cllr. Jason Devlin. Cllr. Lucy Lloyd-Keighery. Cllr. Pat Hynes, Mayor of County Galway. In attendance (Officials): Mr. Pat Gallagher, Manager, Galway County Council Mr. Kevin Kelly, Director of Services. Mr. Alan Farrell, Town Clerk Mr. Alan Raleigh, Town Engineer. Ms. Mary Carty, Assistant Staff Officer. 1. MINUTES – MONTHLY MEETING HELD ON THE 11TH APRIL 2006, IN THE CIVIC OFFICES, BALLINASLOE, AT 7.00 P.M. The minutes of the April Monthly Meeting held on the 11th April, 2006, which had been circulated were adopted on the proposal of Cllr. S. Tully, seconded by Cllr. L. Lloyd-Keighery. It was proposed by the Mayor, Cllr. H. Dolan and agreed that Item 2 on the Agenda would be taken before matters arising from the minutes. 2. VISIT BY CLLR. PAT HYNES, MAYOR OF COUNTY GALWAY The Mayor welcomed Cllr. Pat Hynes, Mayor of County Galway, and invited him to address the meeting. Cllr. Pat Hynes, Mayor of Galway County thanked the members for the opportunity to pay a courtesy visit to Ballinasloe Town Council. He said that he had been a member of Loughrea Town Commissioners for 25 years and that he was aware of the immense work carried out by Town Councillors, and he wished to put on record his appreciation for the work done by the Councillors on behalf of the Ballinasloe Urban area. He also wished to acknowledge the position of Town Councillors in the Local Government system and stated that Town Councils are a key tier in the democratic process. He said that he has been an advocate for Town Councillors to ensure that they got proper recognition and that representations made by them were acknowledged and replied to. Cllr. H. Dolan, Mayor of Ballinasloe Town Council and the members thanked Cllr. Pat Hynes, Mayor of County Galway for his kind words and his appreciation of the role of Town Councillors. They also paid tribute to his work as both a Town Commissioner and Mayor. Matters arising:- County Development Board Cllr. S. Tully said that due to increased usage of the Railway Station there is insufficient parking available to commuters. He asked if the Council would write to Mr. Frank Dawson, Director of Services, Community, Enterprise and Economic Development, and request him to pursue this matter with Iarnrod Eireann. RAPID Meeting Cllr. J. Walsh said that in the minutes of the Council meeting for January 2005, Cllr. C. Greally was nominated as the Town Council’s representative on the RAPID Social and Community Sub Group. However, she did not receive an invitation to the meeting on the 26th April, 2006. The Town Clerk agreed that he would contact the Director of Community and Enterprise to clarify the position. Creagh Junction In response to a query from Cllr. J. Molloy the Town Clerk said that funding has been secured under the Urban and Village Renewal Scheme and it had been agreed that a large portion of this would be put towards the Creagh junction. This work, which consists of a car park, wall and landscaping, would be done in association with the Tidy Towns Committee. Cllr. Greally said that the Tidy Towns Committee is treating it as a priority and it was hoped that the work would be completed by October. The members also requested that all other matters in relation to the junction would also be progressed, and that the NRA should be contacted to speed this up as the continued delay is reflecting badly on the Council. Mr. A. Raleigh confirmed that he would contact the NRA regarding outstanding works and that he would update the members when he had more information. The members expressed concerns at the fact that there are a number of different agencies that impart on the Creagh junction. The Town Clerk informed the members, that if they had concerns they could address them to him and he would liaise with the relevant parties. Taking in charge of Estates The Mayor, Cllr. H. Dolan, raised the issue of an article that had appeared in the Athlone Advertiser suggesting that Ballinasloe Town Council had to change their policy on the taking in charge of estates as a result of a letter from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He said that this matter was raised in the Dail and has now been read into the Dail records. Mr. K. Kelly said that any correspondence received from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in relation to this issue was of a general nature and was not specific to Ballinasloe. In response to queries the Town Clerk confirmed that the Council is progressing the taking in charge of the Hawthorn Estate. He said that this matter is at an advanced stage and the Council is waiting for the developer to attend to some works. Mr. K. Kelly said that the Council’s Taking in Charge Policy states that the upkeep of the green areas is the responsibility of the residents. He said that traditionally the Town Council maintained the green areas. However, he said that if a number of estates are being taken in charge the Council would need to be able to carry out the maintenance from a financial perspective. Litter In response to a query from Cllr. J. Walsh regarding the public awareness campaign in relation to litter, Mr. A. Raleigh confirmed that staff had been assigned to this and the possibility of providing signs under the Estate Enhancement Scheme is being investigated. 3. STATUTORY AUDIT REPORT/ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 2004. Mr. K. Kelly said that the Annual Financial Statement for 2004 had now been audited and it, together with the auditors report, is being submitted to the members for their consideration as is statutorily required. The audited financial statement and auditors report were proposed by Cllr. S. Tully and seconded by Cllr. J. Walsh and agreed. 4. DATE FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF BALLINASLOE TOWN COUNCIL. The members agreed to hold the Annual General Meeting at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 13th June, 2006, before the monthly meeting. 5. MANAGER’S BUSINESS. Mr. K. Kelly circulated a draft of the footpaths improvement programme. He welcomed the feedback from members. He informed members that the works as set out in the draft programme were subject to further costings and that he would update members in relation to progress. Mr. A. Raleigh said that the approach to the taken in relation to footpath improvement was to remove and replace sections of the footpath at a time. He also stated that the areas near the commercial centre would the prioritised. Some of the members expressed concern at the state of the footpath on the bridge on the N6 and requested that the Town Engineer would consider if it was possible to carry out works at this location. 6. MAYOR’S BUSINESS No Mayor’s business. 7. NOTICE OF MOTION – CLLR. JASON DEVLIN. “That with the recent purchase of the Convent, this Council will use this opportunity to provide living accommodation for elderly people within the building”. Cllr. J. Devlin withdrew the motion. 8. CORRESPONDENCE The Town Clerk read a letter from the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland regarding motions for Annual Conference 2006. Motions must be submitted by 30th June, 2006, and are confined to the following matters: 1. Anti-Social Behaviour 2. Housing (Social/Affordable) 3. The Legal position of being a Councillor 9. ANY OTHER BUSINESS The members suggested that a civic reception would be held for the Ballinasloe under 18 Rugby Team who won the All-Ireland. It was agreed that the members would liaise with the Town Clerk on this matter. It was proposed by Cllr. C. Grealy and seconded by Cllr. J. Walsh and agreed that funding would the awarded to Ballinasloe Community Arts Group. The Town Clerk confirmed that he had met with representatives of Ballinasloe Community Arts Group and he confirmed that the level of funding would be the same as last year. Congratulations were extended to Noreen Ronaldson on her nomination for a Person of the Year award. Cllr. C. Grealy said that the Tidy Towns Committee are undertaking a clean up of the grounds of the Presbyterian Church on Saturday, 13th May, 2006, at 10.00 a.m. She asked the Councillors to support this event. She said the Tidy Towns Committee would work with the Town Council, Chamber of Commerce and Residents Associations to improve the town. The members said that the Beechlawn Road is in a bad condition and heavy vehicles are using it to by-pass the town. They requested that consideration be given to improving the road. A number of members referred to the condition of the bog road in Pollboy and asked that Mr. Alan Raleigh investigate the matter. The members raised concerns regarding the recent odour from the landfill which was experienced over a two day period. Mr. K. Kelly said that this was due to operational difficulties with the flare and he anticipated that these would be resolved immediately. He said that the final capping would commence shortly and this would result in further improvements. In response to queries from a number of members, he said that the EPA has not issued any court proceedings against the Council. He said that the Council are in regular contact with the EPA. Cllr. J. Walsh requested that the Council write to the South Roscommon Vintage Group to recognise and compliment them on their recent rally which raised over €40,000 for a worthy cause. Cllr. M. Kelly informed the members that the Ballinasloe Tourist Office will open from 29th May, 2006 to 30th September, 2006. There is a possibility that this may be extended to the 7th October, 2006 to cover the period of the October Fair. This concluded the business of the meeting. |
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