'Life in hands' junction needs traffic lights - commissioners

NEWBRIDGE, 11 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. A Newbridge road junction where motorists 'take their lives in their hands' should have traffic lights, according to members of the town's commission.

The matter was raised by chairman John O'Neill, who said that the £150,000 recently allocated for planning improvements to the road from Newbridge to Welchestown Cross should include design for the lights at the junction of the industrial estates road and Athgarvan Road.

The extension of the footpath from Cox's Cash & Carry to the graveyard must also be a priority, he said. Cmmr Colm Feeney supported the chairman's concerns, making the 'life in their hands' remark.

Meanwhile, traffic calming measures are to be put in place at College Park in Newbridge, a road on which the 30mph speed limits are regularly exceeded.

The news that design work is already underway for the measures was revealed by the chairman at the meeting, and was greeted by a fervent 'thanks be to God' from Cmmr Spike Nolan (right), who lives on the road and who has campaigned for many years to have something done about the speeding situation on College Park.

It was only late last year that his efforts resulted in speed limit repeater signs being placed on poles along the road.

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Gaelscoil frustrations aired again

KILDARE, 11 February 2000: by Susan Cunningham. A meeting of the Parents Association of Gaelscoil Chill Dara this week heard frustration expressed by many of those in attendance at the lack of progress on their demand for a proper premises. The school has just celebrated its fifth birthday, having originally opened its gates to 34 pupils on February 1 , 1995. Today there are 170 pupils and more are enrolling all the time. Sixteen youngsters are already enrolled for 2004.

The school has been operating from Herbert Lodge in the Curragh since opening. Due to the increased demand, students and staff have outgrown their old but quaint schoolhouse. At present many classes are held in the temporary buildings at the back of the school. Children have no playground, no library, and teachers have no staff room.

A planning application for a new premises was submitted to Kildare County Council over a year ago. Parents are angry at the lack of progress, particularly in view of the fact that former minister for education Michael Martin expressed his approval for the site chosen. The proposal is for a nine-classroom building on land adjacent to the Sundai International school on the Green Road just outside Newbridge.

Despite its almost dilapidated building, the school has a community feel to it. All classes are through Irish and parents are encouraged to learn Irish in evening classes provided by the school. Although at present there are only has pupils up to 5th class and the nearest second level Irish school is as far away as Rathcoole, staff and parents of Gaelscoil Cill Dara are very hopeful that education through Irish in Co Kildare is here to stay.

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Want 'doctor on call' system changed

NEWBRIDGE, 11 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. Newbridge Town Commission is to ask the minister for health to set up a system where local GPs will do weekend duty on a rota basis in the town. It follows complaints that the current 'doctor on call' system is not working satisfactorily.

Commission chairman John O'Neill said that people needing a doctor at weekends currently had to wait, 'sometimes for several hours', for a doctor from a Dublin-based service to arrive. "When he does come, though he might well be very good at diagnosis, he simply doesn't know anything of the medical history of the patient," he said. "The minister has suggested that generally local doctors should do weekend duty on weekends, and I think we should ask him to have this done here."

Cllr O'Neill said he wasn't criticising the local GPs, who had particularly been overworked in recent months, but given the size of Newbridge, the present system wasn't satisfactory.

Cllr Colm Feeney said the system had been put in place following a meeting with a representative of GPs, despite the fact that commissioners 'weren't happy with it at the time'. "It was due to be reviewed after 18 months," he recalled. Cmmr Murty Aspell noted that some of the visiting doctors had used local taxis to show them where to go when called out to patients.

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'One-stop shops' council facilities on hold

MAYNOOTH & KILDARE GENERAL, 11 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council has established a working group to develop functional and operational plans for new offices in Naas. This is in parallel to negotiations to acquire the site, at the former Devoy Barracks in the town (above). The barracks site will also be the location for a new headquarters for Naas UDC.

Part of the work being carried out by the working group is to decide on how the council will develop outreach centres to deliver its services to other communities in the county. These will comprise ‘one-stop shops’ where people can deal locally with most aspects of the council’s operations. However, the provision of these facilities have been put on hold pending the move to the new site, and one earmarked for Maynooth has been so affected.

Cllr Emmet Stagg TD has expressed his concern at this delay on a facility which was sanctioned for Maynooth in 1998 and he is to take up the matter with the county manager. “Maynooth should not lose out under this re-examination,” he says.

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Pairc na nOg builder's yard 'could be moved'

NAAS, 10 February 2000: by Trish Whelan. While Naas UDC is required under contract to provide a compound for the contractor involved in demolishing the eight houses on Sarto Road deemed beyond repair, the authority could examine the possibility of relocating the existing controversial compound at Pairc na nÓg, if the work could be carried on in two lots of four houses.

That was the view of town clerk Declan Kirrane at a recent UDC meeting. In relation to the work itself, he said ‘some progress has been made’ and he hoped that they would soon start on four of the houses if not all eight. He said it may be possible that the work could be done in two lots of four houses and if that was the case the Council would examine if that would facilitate the relocation of the compound.

“The whole contract for the eight houses is a nine-month contract and we would be out by the end of the year,” he told councillors. “We’re required under the contract to provide a compound for the contractor, who is from out-of-town and needs to store equipment and machinery somewhere. If we moved him, it could cost us money.” Mr Kirrane has asked the architect to get him to reduce the size of the compound and he has undertaken to do that.

Cllr Evelyn Bracken asked why the contractor cannot move down to the Square at the back of Sarto Road as the people near Pairc na nÓg have had it for so long? She also asked for a report on the houses in Sarto Road and the way it has been finished.

Cllr Pat McCarthy (left) said he was disappointed with the official response. “It is the express wish of this Council that the compound be moved from its present location,” he said. “If we have to provide a compound under the terms of the contract, is it possible to raise that money so that we can move him? The people facing it are looking on to it for years now and they are the ones that have suffered most. At the very least we should move it from its present location and give those people a break. At this stage they have put up with an awful lot. It should be moved down to the open space, either to the right or left.”

Cllr Pat O’Reilly said he saw no difficulty in leaving the compound where it is for the remainder of the year. “If it’s part of the contract the people there have got to live with it,” he commented.

Cllr Charlie Byrne said he had received ‘a quite heated’ phone call from someone who lives facing the compound. “I think if it was discussed with the people there, that might solve something,” he suggested.

Cllr Mary Glennon asked if Mr Queally could give the garden of Market House which is a mess at present, as a compound. It’s nearer the houses to be demolished than the compound and ‘nobody could object to it’.

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Worried that free computers 'might cost' commissioners

NEWBRIDGE, 10 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. A concern that the provision of computers to Newbridge Town Commissioners might involve them in expense for internet access was raised at the monthly meeting of the commission.

Cmmr Murty Aspell suggested that in the light of the 'measly £72 a month' expenses paid to the commissioners, being provided with computers could 'cost us money' for the privilege.

Town manager Terry O Niadh said the computers, software, and probably initial internet access costs would be funded by the authority, and after that expense of internet costs would 'depend on usage'. "But I would point out to the commissioners that it is cheaper to send an email than a letter, so those of you with heavy postage costs would benefit," he added.

Town clerk Charlie Talbot noted that the computers would cost £1,600 plus modems. He asked commissioners to complete a questionnaire as soon as possible so that the equipment could be ordered. He estimated that it would be two months before they might be installed, and then there would be a period for training commissioners in their use.

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Landlords 'putting people up in sheds'

NEWBRIDGE, 9 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. 'Unscrupulous landlords' who 'put people up in sheds' were castigated at the February meeting of Newbridge Town Commission. Cmmr Murty Aspell claimed that many landlords in Newbridge were exploiting the plight of people on Social Welfare and he wants Kildare County Council to do something about it.

He also said that he knew of a case where the landlord had asked for an extra week's rent because the tenant had received the extra Christmas payment. "Here's somebody trying to convince his tenant that there are 53 weeks in the year," he said.

Cmmr Fiona O'Loughlin said she'd had occasion to visit a number of rented accommodations in the last few months which were 'most unhygienic' and without even running water. "Most of the people concerned are on a housing list, and they know that if they complain, there are many other families waiting to take their place in the accommodation," she said.

Assistant county manager Terry O Niadh (left) said there were a number of areas where the council could deal with the situation, but they required complaints from the people concerned. "On the one hand, it is a legal obligation that all rented accommodation be registered with the council, but many are not complying," he said. "We've asked for public help, but we've had considerable difficulty in getting information. People are afraid of some kind of retribution."

Mr O Niadh said that information on those whose accommodation was paid by the EHB was not released by the board because of data protection legislation difficulties.

"On the other hand, there are regulations relating to standards, and if we get a complaint - by phone or by letter, or in person - we will investigate," he said. "But we're not getting a lot of complaints."

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Information meetings on SPCs near end

KILDARE GENERAL, 9 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. A final public information meeting on the proposed Strategic Policy Committees is to be held in County Hall at St Mary's, Naas, on Thursday morning. The 11am meeting ends an evening series which have taken place already in Allenwood, Athy, Leixlip, Celbridge and County Hall.

The SPCs will play an advisory role to local authorities on several key policy areas. Their membership will be composed of councillors and town commissioners, as well as members of the public from various sectoral interests related to the SPC remits.

The policy areas selected for the five committees proposed for Kildare are Economic Planning & Development, Transportation, Environment & Services, Housing & Social Inclusion, and Local, Urban & Rural Development. Under the draft proposals for Kildare, each SPC will have nine members, including a chairman who will be a county councillor selected by the council. Four of the other members will also be councillors, while one member of each will be either a UDC councillor or a town commissioner.

At this month's meeting of Newbridge Town Commission, assistant county manager Terry O Niadh emphasised that the SPCs only have an advisory role, and any recommendations made by them must be debated and decided by the members of the county council. But he said they have an important role.

"In effect, they are a local version of the National Partnership which has served so well for the economy of the country in recent years," he said.

Submissions from interested organisations and individuals on the SPCs can be made up to a closing date of 10 March.

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Seamie recalls old Leinster Mills at opening of new

NAAS, 9 February 2000: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC chairman Seamie Moore said he was worried if he was doing the correct thing in going back to school and leaving a trade opportunity in a very vibrant flour industry behind him when as a young man of sixteen years he packed in his job as soda boy working in the loft of Odlums Leinster Mills ‘many years ago.’

He was speaking at the formal opening by an Tanaiste, Mary Harney TD (above with Cllr Moore and Jerry Conlan, chairman of Bandenberry Ltd) of the marketing headquarters for the proposed Millennium Park at Naas. “Little did I appreciate that in the course of time, Leinster Mills would be closed and remain closed for over ten years.

“Today as a much older and maybe not much wiser man, but as chairman of Naas UDC and representing the other elected members and the people of Naas, I am absolutely delighted to be here at the re-opening of the Mills as the headquarters of Bandenbury Ltd.” he said.

He said matters concerning the environment is very important to Naas UDC and to the people of Naas and the canal area ‘is a very significant part in our aspirations and plans to continuously improve our level of amenities and recreational areas.’

“Coupling the plans for Millennium with those evolving from agreements with Ducas and Naas UDC for enhancing the canal and its environs, and with the natural linkage and enjoyment of the Oldtown Gardens across the canal, will make this entire area a most beautiful feature for the enjoyment of the people of Naas and visitors and will also be a compelling factor in the global marketplace to the selecting of this Naas community as the place for inward investment,” he said.

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Millennium Park marketing HQ officially opened

NAAS, 8 February 2000: by Trish Whelan. The major Millennium Park project, expected to create some 5,000 jobs and bring in £7m annually in rates to Naas UDC, is a ‘most welcome and essential ingredient’ in maintaining Ireland’s competitive advantage, Tanaiste Mary Harney TD said yesterday. She was officially opening the marketing headquarters for Bandenberry Ltd, the owners and developers of Millennium Park, at Leinster Mills in Naas (pictured above with Bandenberry chairman Jerry Conlan are his mother, Mrs Maeve Conlan from Kildare town, his wife Mags and their daughter Emily).

Minister Harney said developments such as Millennium Park are examples of how public and private partnerships can co-operate and provide strategic development in local economies. “Nowadays companies want to start up fast without delays in planning permissions and construction. Where facilities are in place, they are taken up very quickly. Early movers like Millennium Park are going to do well.”

Millennium Park is planned to be a state-of-the-art centre for software and e-commerce businesses, among others, on over 200 acres of land at Osberstown running alongside the M7 motorway. A key part of the infrastructure for the park will be the constructions of its own interchange to provide direct access from the motorway (right).

The newly refurbished marketing office complex is located in a portion of the Leinster Mills buildings, which were built in 1790 and are now fitted out to standards essential to attract the attention of global inward investors while preserving and protecting the many unique features of the historic building. It will also incorporate a 14,000 sq ft museum and a design centre.

Project chief executive Michael Mullally (right) stressed the importance of having the right environment in an enterprise such as Millennium Park in order to attract, and keep, the calibre of people which will be needed by the world class businesses at which the location is being targeted. “Every aspect of it has to be right.”

UDC Chairman, Seamie Moore (pictured left with Reverand Michael Wooderson and Cllr Evelyn Bracken), said he was delighted to be present at the ‘dawn of a new era’ and the reopening of Leinster Mills at the company’s headquarters. He said Millennium Park will position Naas in the forefront of new high-technology investment while providing much-needed infrastructure for the town with its major new ring road - not to mention the enhanced telecom and related services requirements.

“It’s the best decision that has ever been made to benefit the town and we in the UDC are certainly pleased to have contributed to its moulding and creation,” he said. “It will also allow many of the thousands of Naas residents who are daily commuters to Dublin to expect that job opportunities for themselves and for their children are now a reality within their own community.”

Jerry Conlan noted that a major property development such as Millennium Park and its developing environs had never happened before in County Kildare. He said the standards laid down by Naas UDC ‘were exceptional in terms of the protection of the environment and traffic management’ and Millennium Park was happy to respond to those challenges. “We would add to the environmental benefits of the investment to create, within the community, the finest Business Park anywhere in Ireland.” He said it will not only be ‘a most pleasant place to work in, but will be designed and laid out so as it will also be a most desirable environment for the total enjoyment of the local community.’ He said the company will be investing some £20m in the project over the next 18 months alone.

The recent planning approvals for the roads and services infrastructure will now allow the construction of the first phase of the high technology office units which will cater for the exacting requirements of the E-commerce, financial services and software/call centre type investments.

Pictured below are neighbours of Leinster Mills Mrs Nora Marum, Eithne Culleton, and her father Michael who worked in Odlums mills for 40 years.

IDA regional manager Liam Kearney with Naas Chamber of Commerce president Mary Bhogal and local man Brendan O'Connell, who lives beside the mill.
Colette Kirwan and Brendan Colivet of Green Project Management Ltd.
Above: Naas UDC town clerk Declan Kirrane with local businessman John O'Reilly; Right: Kildare County Council Roads Design chief Dick Burke with Cllr Pat O'Reilly.
Brendan O'Connell of Kilcullen with assistant county manager Terry O Niadh and Senator John Dardis.
Dermot O'Rourke of Bandenberry Ltd with Emmet Stagg TD.

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Kildare's day trip tourism potential 'excellent' - report

KILDARE GENERAL, 8 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. Kildare has an excellent potential as a day trip destination from Dublin, but limited possibilities for the mainstream overseas tourism market as an overnight destination. That’s the main conclusion from a report on the county’s tourism prospects produced under an EU-financed pilot initiative, People and Places. The production of the report included an examination of the county's attractions, such as St Fiachra's Garden at the National Stud (above).

Kildare was selected for the pilot analysis because it is an area which suffers from having a ‘corridor’ status in regional tourism terms. The report is the result of a visit by a group of tourism operators in mid-January who completed an analysis of positive and negative aspects of Kildare’s tourism product.

The operators suggested a number of marketing elements which should be the core of any development programme. They include further market research to ensure that local tourism product is market led, niche marketing with a focus on product rather than county, that Kildare's location and proximity to Dublin be turned into an advantage, that there should be a ‘people emphasis’ particularly with regard to accommodation, and that sign-posting be improved.

The regional distribution group undertaking the initiative included Frieda O'Connell (left) of Irish National Stud, Japanese Gardens and St. Fiachra's Garden and Justin Larkin of KELT and was chaired by Joe Palmer, regional manager of South East Tourism. The results of their findings, together with those of other five projects, will be discussed at a meeting in Dublin Castle on Thursday. An announcement will be made by Jim McDaid TD, minister for Tourism, Sport & Recreation, later in February concerning the next stages of the programme.

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Meeting on Parc na nOg today

NAAS, 8 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. A deputation of residents from the St Gabriel’s Place area of Naas are to meet with Naas town clerk Declan Kirrane today to discuss the ongoing Pairc na nOg issue.

The residents have been campaigning for some time to have a builder’s yard located on the playground area moved somewhere else. They are also concerned that there shouldn’t be a repeat of last winter’s situation when up to 60 travelling families took over the area and left the UDC with a £11,000 bill for legal and cleanup costs.

ESB Properties recently wrote to the UDC expressing concern on behalf of the residents, many of whom are living in former ESB houses which they bought out.

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Terry leaving for Tipperary North

COUNTY HALL, 8 February 2000: by Trish Whelan. Kildare is to lose its assistant county manager, Terry O Niadh, who is expected to be ratified soon as county manager for Tipperary North Riding. It’s expected he will leave Kildare County Council in April, replacing John McGinley who retired in August.

Ironically he was Kildare’s first and last holder of that job, which is expected to disappear with the reform of local government planned by the minister for the environment.

Originally from Mullingar, Mr O Niadh came to Kildare in April 1994 from Wicklow County Council where he had worked as county secretary. He had previously worked with a number of county councils including Meath, Offaly, and Dun Laoghaire Corporation in a number of capacities.

He told KNN that while he will miss Kildare and the many friends he made during his spell here, he is also looking forward to the challenges of being a county manager in North Tipperary which has a population of some 58,000. “Obviously being an assistant county manager is great ... but the top job is better,” he said.

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Newbridge road to be improved

NEWBRIDGE, 7 February 2000: by Brian Byrne. An allocation of £150,000 has been made by the Department of the Environment to improve the road between Newbridge Graveyard and the town (above). The money will be used for land acquisition and preparation of plans. The completion of the project will take around £1.3 million and it is expected that this will be allocated in next year’s funding.

Meanwhile, Senator John Dardis has raised the situation of the road from Athgarvan towards Newbridge (above), near the Athgarvan Heights estate, with county engineer Jimmy Lynch. The section before the wide road underneath the motorway bridge is ‘lethally dangerous’, Cllr Dardis says, as it is very narrow and a mass of potholes. “It has become much more important given the extra traffic with the considerable increase in the population of Athgarvan,” he told KNN.

Cllr Dardis welcomed the allocation for the planning of the graveyard to Newbridge town road.

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Chronicle of a Small Village

Ballymore looks back on its past.

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Vanning in snowland is a (cold) breeze!

KILCULLEN & LAPLAND, 7 February 2000: by Trish Whelan. Wearing his (furry) hat as a motoring journalist, KNN’s Brian Byrne recently spent a few days in Northern Finland driving Volkswagen light commercial vehicles. The conditions were slightly different to here at home, as the temperature plummeted one day to minus 35degC!

“My most immediate reflection was that the Finns have snow and freezing conditions for around seven months of the year, but they don’t let that upset their lifestyle,” Brian says. “They simply switch to winter tyres in November and keep them on through March, and then drive as normal while the snowblowers do their best to keep things reasonably clear ... whereas back here in Ireland, we’ll slow down to 15mph on a bit of slush and cause driving consternation for everybody.”

The vehicles in question were T4 and Caravelles, pretty well the same as are available in Ireland. The one which stood out in overall harsh conditions performance was the Synchro 4WD van, which shone particularly in both handling on a twisty snow-covered track ploughed out of a snowbound airfield, and in straight-line acceleration under the same conditions (above).

“Weatherwise, I was well kitted for the chill,” Brian mentions. “But it’s a very dry cold, and in fact when I got back to Dublin Airport in a mere minus 1degC freezing fog situation, I felt an awful lot colder. Funny country we have here.”

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Traffic problem at Ballycane School

NAAS, 7 February 2000: by Trish Whelan. The 700 primary school children who attend Ballycane School in Naas are in daily danger from traffic outside their school which also poses a threat to residents of the area.

UDC Cllr Seamie Moore (right) has asked Naas UDC to consult with the Parish Priest and management of local primary schools on the traffic situation outside the Holy Child School - which extends for 100 metres of roadfront.

He said everything that happens in the area, happens right in front of the school. This includes 30 teachers’ cars, pedestrians, delivery vehicles, services as well as parents dropping off and collecting their children for school. He was amazed how the traffic warden could cope with the present ‘chaotic’ situation and said the school’s Board of Management have asked members to consider the problem.

Cllr Evelyn Bracken believed the situation could be eased if traffic coming from Cleevaun turned left and went around the roundabout while problem of cars obstructing the entrance to the school’s car park was highlighted by Cllr Pat O’Reilly (left) who said residents had suggested the car park be extended to allow cars to turn there instead of on the road.

Cllr Mary Glennon (right) a member of the school’s Parent/Teacher Association, thought a through road to the nearby church car park would allow traffic travel in a continuous circle. She said one family are prohibited from getting their car in and out of their driveway and this too must be addressed. “Discussions with all parties concerned, including residents, is the way forward.”

Town clerk Declan Kirrane said he had no problem with the council’s engineer meeting with the school’s BOM to explore all possibilities but warned the biggest problem would be to try to get the parents to abide by it - but he said with goodwill on all sides, a solution would be agreed.

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