BALLINASLOE TOWN COUNCIL

Minutes of Monthly Meeting held on Thursday, 8th February, 2007,
in the Civic Offices, Ballinasloe, at 7.00 p.m.

In attendance (Members)
Cllr. Lucy Lloyd-Keighery, Mayor.
Cllr. Mike Kelly.
Cllr. Hugh Dolan.
Cllr. Carmel Grealy.
Cllr. Sean Tully.
Cllr. Johnny Walsh.
Cllr. John Molloy.
Cllr. Jason Devlin.
Cllr. Pat O'Sullivan.

In Attendance (Officials)
Mr. Kevin Kelly, Director of Services.
Mr. Alan Farrell, Acting Town Clerk
Ms. Mary Carty, Assistant Staff Officer.
Mr. Brian Murphy, Senior Staff Officer.

A vote of sympathy was proposed to Cllr. P. O'Sullivan on the death of his father and the meeting was adjourned for four minutes.

On the proposal of Cllr. J. Molloy, seconded by Cllr. H. Dolan it was agreed to receive the deputation from Old Mill Road before the consideration of the minutes of the January Monthly Meeting.

1. DEPUTATION FROM THE RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION OF OLD MILL ROAD.

The Deputation from Old Mill Road consisted of C. Nott. L. Doherty, M. Bradley and M. Renehan. They made a presentation to the Town Council regarding the unfinished nature of their estate and outlined details of their contacts with the developer in an effort to resolve the situation.

The Mayor, Cllr. L. Lloyd Keighery thanked the members of the deputation for their presentation and they withdrew from the meeting.

It was agreed that the issues raised by the deputation would be discussed under Any Other Business.

2. MINUTES - MONTHLY MEETING HELD ON THE 9TH JANUARY, 2007, IN THE CIVIC OFFICES, BALLINASLOE, AT 7.00 P.M.

The minutes of the January Monthly Meeting held on the 9th January, 2007, which had been circulated, were adopted on the proposal of Cllr. J. Molloy, seconded by Cllr. C. Grealy.

Matters arising:-
At the request of the members, Mr. Alan Farrell, agreed to give an up-to-date report on the Kilgarve Amenity Area and the Dunlo Amenity Area at the March Meeting of the Council.

The Mayor welcomed Mr. Brian Murphy to Ballinasloe Town Council.

3. DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTIONS SCHEME.

The members discussed the current Development Contributions Scheme and
Mr. K. Kelly clarified a number of issues relating to the scheme and how money collected by the Local Authority could be spent. The Members agreed that revisions to the Scheme should be considered it was agreed by the members that Mr. Kelly would proceed on this basis and report to them at a meeting in the coming months.

4. TOWN TWINNING - INVITATION TO CHALONNE SUR LOIRE.

It was agreed by the members that the Mayor, Cllr. L. Lloyd Keighery,
Cllr. M. Kelly and the Town Clerk should accept the invitation of the Mayor of Chalonne to visit Chalonne on the 24th and 25th February, 2007.

5. MANAGER'S BUSINESS.

Mr. A. Farrell informed the members that a Road Block Grant of €108,000.00 had been received and a Special Block Grant for Carriageway/Footpath Repairs of €179,000.00 had been received. He said that a programme of works would be brought before the members at a future Council Meeting.

6. MAYOR'S BUSINESS.

The Mayor, Cllr. L. Lloyd Keighery, said that a request for funding had been received from Ballinasloe Active Retirement Association. The Mayor proposed that some funding be made available and this was seconded by Cllr. S. Tully and agreed.

7. NOTICE OF MOTION - CLLR. J. WALSH

"That this Council as a matter of urgency carry out a survey to ascertain the number of Local Authority houses in the town which require insulation, and thereafter to apply to the relevant Government Departments for funding to carry out such works".

The Motion was proposed by Cllr. J. Walsh and seconded by
Cllr. L. Lloyd Keighery. Cllr. J. Walsh congratulated the Council on the great work done on the replacement of windows and the provision of central heating but he said tenants cannot receive the full benefit of these schemes without adequate insulation.

Mr. K. Kelly said that the Council will undertake a survey to see which houses need upgrading.

Mr. A. Farrell said that the central heating programme is progressing well. He said that a case had been made to the Department for further funding and he is hopeful of a response in the near future.

8. CORRESPONDENCE.

There was no correspondence.

9. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Cllr. M. Kelly informed the meeting that Galway County Council had allocated €80,000.00 for a controlled pedestrian crossing at Dunlo Hill and an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing at Hayden's Car Park. He said that there are two central refuge islands with tactile paving proposed for the new road.

Cllr. H. Dolan welcomed the inclusion by Minister Brian Cowan, of Ballinasloe in the new programme of tax designation for the Mid Shannon Region. He said that this is for specific tourism related projects. He said details in relation to the scheme will issue at a later date.

In response to a query Mr. K. Kelly said that the Town Council is in discussion with the County Library in relation to the Convent Building.

Before the members commenced a discussion on the matters raised by the deputation from Old Mill Road, Mr. K. Kelly reminded members to keep comments brief as a process has commenced which may culminate in a legal process. He said the Council should let this process take its course.

The members requested that the Council write to the Residents' of Old Mill Road to address the questions raised by the deputation. They also raised queries in relation to the bond and the effectiveness of the enforcement process.

Presentation to Mr. Pat Gallagher, County Manager.
The Mayor, Cllr. L. Lloyd Keighery welcomed Mr. Pat Gallagher to the meeting. She congratulated him on his work on behalf of the County and she wished him well in his new appointment with Offaly County Council. He said this is an on-going issue for Local Authorities.

The members joined in wishing Mr. Gallagher well in his new appointment. They said that he was respected by Councillors and colleagues alike. They said that they appreciated the work that he did on behalf of the County and the interest he took in Ballinasloe.

Mr. P. Gallagher thanked the members for their kind words and for their co-operation and practical approach to the improvement of life in the town. He acknowledged the support of the members and the various Mayors whom he had worked with. He also thanked the County Council Area Office Staff and the Town Council Staff and the various Town Managers with whom he had worked. He said that it had been a difficult period for Ballinasloe with significant job losses. He said that through the leadership, action and a positive approach by all organisations in the town and the support of public sector organisations over a period of time, the economic programme of actions had been delivered on.

He said that going forward, the tax designation of the Mid Shannon Region should benefit the tourism and hospitality section. He said that this together with the locational advantage of Ballinasloe between two gateways and other developments such as the upgrading of the rail services should benefit the town into the future. He thanked the members, staff and people of the town for their courtesy and co-operation

The Mayor, Cllr. L. Lloyd Keighery presented Mr. Gallagher with a painting of Ballinasloe by Mr. Brendan Grealy a local artist.

This concluded the business of the meeting.