NAAS, 24 November 2000: by Trish Whelan. A number of 200-year-old beech trees between Leinster Mills and the motorway have been cut down to make way for the new bridge being built (above) to service Millennium Park.
The felling has caused much local anger and a number of people rang Naas UDC to complain when the felling began. The Sallins Road Action Group had earlier written to Naas UDC reminding officials that is was an objective in the Naas Town Plan ‘to protect the trees in the town and hinterland’, including those between Leinster Mills and the motorway.
However, Michael Mullally (right) of Millennium Park told KNN today that ‘all proper procedures had been followed’ prior to the trees being cut down. He said the original planning permission for the bridge incorporated having some of the trees felled and Naas UDC had issued a tree felling licence before the trees were cut down.
Mr Mullally said it had not been possible to cut down just a few trees as they had grown together as a copse and were inter-dependent. Mr Mullally said the trees will be more than replaced by 6,000 new trees to be planted throughout the park itself.
“The felled trees will also ‘live on’ in a way,” he added. “There were a number of saplings in the copse, and they are being replanted in the park.”
Kill villagers express concerns about development plan proposals
KILL, 23 November 2000: by Bill Trapman. Concerns about proposed intersections, distributor roads, and housing development at the Kill Equestrian Centre were among the matters raised by a large attendance at last night’s Information Evening on the Kill Development Plan.
Over 70 local people went to the event in the Ambassador, to put their points to the Kildare County Council team of Kevin Kelly, Michael Kenny, Gerry Horton, Tommy Skehan and Charlie Talbot. A representative of the consultants involved, Brady Shipman Martin was also there, as were two councillors - Tony Lawlor and Mary Glennon.
Many local people were of the opinion that the plan was ‘premature’ because the National Roads Authority had not yet decided on the location and design of two intersections at Kill and Johnstown, and how these were built would have a major effect on the shape of Kill in the future.
They were also concerned about a ‘distributor road’ proposed in the village, on the grounds that it could divide large parts of the community from facilities like shops and church. Senior Executive Planner Michael Kenny said the plan should not be delayed as the last one done was in 1985. He said measures could be put in place to make a ‘busy road’ a ‘safe’ road.
It was pointed out that there was an urgent need to decide on and complete road plans in the area, as the village was already being used by heavy traffic to ‘get around’ the backlogs at the traffic lights on the dual carriageway. Car transporters from a number of distributors’ compounds are also a source of annoyance to villagers.
Other residents expressed their worry that Kill and Johnstown could become ‘one town’ if rezonings permitted developments between the two villages. There were also concerns about the plan not including West Kill and the area around Goffs. Cllr Mary Glennon (left) told the attendance that they should all as individuals make themselves aware of the contents and implications of the plan, and she warned that developers would be making their own very high-powered submissions.
“Be careful that you don’t end up with a situation that the tail is wagging the dog,” she said.
Naas ICA Guild given special award
NAAS, 23 November 2000: by Trish Whelan. Naas UDC has paid tribute to the Naas Guild of the Irish Country Womens’ Association (ICA) presenting a special trophy to its president, Sandra Butler.
Presenting the award at the UDC’s Civic Awards Night, chairman Cllr Pat O’Reilly said Naas was indeed privileged to have a branch of this Association in the town.
Naas ICA was set in November 1970 and was known at that time as Naas Town Association ICA. The chairman recalled the first meeting had taken place in the Okay Bar, now known as Grace’s. The then proprietor, Mrs Maureen McDonagh - one of the founder members - had convened the first meeting with stalwarts such as Nellie Tutty, Nancy Clarke, Anna Kane and two current members, Carmel Rowley and Josephine Enright. He also spoke of the major contribution made by the late Kitty McCarthy.
In the formative years, meetings and craft classes were held in the Old Boy’s School on the Kilcullen Road, now occupied by Goulding’s Hardware. From there they had moved to the ACOT offices on Friary Road before settling into the new Naas Credit Union meeting rooms.
Cllr O’Reilly said over the years Naas ICA ‘have played a very important role in our community, and on this their thirtieth anniversary it is appropriate that Naas UDC on behalf of the community pays tribute to this wonderful body of women’.
Among their contributions are raising funds for the Care of the Aged, entertaining senior citizens at Christmas, encouraging young people to become involved in art through art competition in schools - and providing the prizes for the winners, and playing a prominent role in the Tidy Towns competition by looking after and maintaining some flower beds in New Row from April to October. Naas ICA also take part in the town’s Easter Parade, Naas Summer Project, and have raised money for Dunshane Training College, the Irish Wheelchair Assoc, the National Council for the Blind, and for cancer research.
Naas UDC is to plant a tree in the town as a mark of appreciation of the local ICA’s contribution to the local community.
Sandra Butler will shortly meet President Mary McAleese when she represents the Naas ICA Guild at a special ceremony in Arus an Uachtaran to pay tribute the ICA movement countrywide.
The efforts of various community and recreational groups which provide a wide range of activities were recognised on the night. Grant aid cheques were presented to 27 Residents Associations to help them in their work. Other beneficiaries included Naas Musical Society, 4th Kildare Scouts, Girl Buides, Naas Art Group, Naas East and West Community games, Basketball club, the junior section of Naas Rugby Club, Naas Citizens Information, Care of the Aged, Naas AFC, and Kildare Youth Services.
Right above - Karen Murphy and Fergal O’Neill who represented Gleann na Riogh Residents Assoc at the Naas UDC Civic Awards.
Read Maynooth Draft Plan, local people urged
MAYNOOTH, 23 November 2000: by Bill Trapman. Cllr Paul Kelly has appealed to residents of Maynooth to read the Draft Development Plan, now on display. "People or groups have until the 1st of December to make submissions about the plan,” he says. “This is one of the most important events for the future of Maynooth, as it will decide how Maynooth manages the changes and challenges facing it over the next five years.”
County Council officials, headed by the Manager, addressed a meeting on Monday night to explain the Plan and answer questions. Maynooth Fianna Fail Cumann hosted a meeting for residents associations on Tuesday evening at which Cllr Kelly made a presentation on the plan,and this was very well attended.
“There is great interest in the development of Maynooth, and it is vital that everybody has their say – we want to try our best to get it right.”
Commenting on complaints that the plan is not widely available, Cllr Kelly pointed out that it is on the County Council website. "Given the size of the document - over 60 pages, plus the maps - it is difficult to distibute it to every house. However most people can now get access to the internet, and the plan is very accessible through this medium. Just click on www.kildare.ie/CountyCouncil and they can view the Maynooth plan – and the plans for Kilcock, Clane, and others.”
Around and About the County...
ATHY: A wood turning exhibition in Athy Community Library from 21 November to 5 December features the work of local man Jerry Carbery, and will show his work of lamps, bowls, candlesticks and other items made from various types of native and foreign timbers, as well as some timbers salvaged from buildings in Athy. Jerry has only recently started wood turning, having worked as a builder for over 40 years.
NEWBRIDGE: The Kildare Branch of Network Ireland - the organisation for women in business, the professions and the arts, are holding their second annual Christmas Exhibition and Christmas Fair on Tuesday evening 28th November in the Red House Inn in Newbridge. This years event is open to the public and is being held in aid of the Downes Syndrome Association. Entry to the exhibition is £5.00 and the bar will be open throughout.
KILDARE: Kildare County Council has signed the principal contract for the Kildare Town Motorway By-Pass, and major construction work will shortly get under way. The £59.4million contract will take just over three years to complete, and the new motorway will remove up to 17,000 vehicles per day from Kildare’s heavily congested main street while taking as much as an hour off the journey to the South and South-West. The project will receive 85% funding from the European Union’s Cohesion Fund, while the remainder will be financed by the National Roads Authority.
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UDC councillors steamrolled over Devoy
NAAS, 22 November 2000: by Brian Byrne. Naas UDC councillors found out who was boss last night. He speaks in a soft voice, but he drives a steamroller with exceptional finesse. As one would expect from a professional operator. He had a certain amount of help from the chairman, who figuratively carried the red flag in front.
And the councillors WERE steamrolled, make no mistake about it. If they thought they had control over Devoy Barracks, which THEY had directed by a Pat McCarthy motion should be bought for the local authority housing needs of the people of Naas, they now know different.
County manager Niall Bradley doesn’t often appear before Naas UDC. Assistant manager Tommy Skehan, and before him Terry O Niadh, usually do the honours as Naas town manager. But last night was for the big guns. Or the ‘smart’ bombs.
This was going to be a tough session, with undisguised anger evident on many sides of the table following the recent revelations that Kildare County Council were ‘annexing’ part, maybe half, of Devoy, by ‘underwriting’ half of any liability which might accrue over the £7 million purchase. Niall Bradley spoke softly of ‘partnership’ and ‘integration’.
Cllr Timmy Conway fired his first shots anyway, saying the councillors had been elected by the people of Naas ‘to look after the people of Naas’. “I don’t mind integration as long as our own are looked after first,” he said. “If we agreed with you, then we’ll have to look after people from outside our own area.”
The manager expressed surprise, even hurt. “At a time when we are promoting partnership, I can’t understand this. I was considering purchasing this property solely in the name of Kildare County Council, which I am entitled to do. But I then felt we should jointly operate. We could do a very good joint programme between us.”
He said HE had authorised the town clerk to make a bid on the property. He didn’t mention anything about the fact that the councillors had instructed regular town manager Tommy Skehan to do it on THEIR behalf last summer. And nobody got a chance to mention how Tommy Skehan and the town clerk had failed to carry out that instruction in the first phase of tendering.
The manager suggested that they should all meet at some soon future date to discuss how best they should utilise the property. In the same soft voice he reminded them that the county council officials and the UDC were due to meet over the next six weeks to look at future developments in the town.
A hint of the mailed fist in the velvet glove here, maybe? Was he reminding them that Kildare County Council does all the planning and other services for the UDC anyway? “We all have to work together,” he said. “I think councillors will be happy with what we come up with.” It was very much a capital WE, the county WE.
Chairman Pat O’Reilly, who is in favour of the ‘dividing the sweets’ idea, concurred with the suggestion of having a meeting on Devoy and tried to push it through. It would mean no further embarrassing discussion in front of the press and public.
Cllr Anthony Egan and others weren’t giving up so easily. Cllr Egan threw the right-hander that when it came to housing, the land mass available to Kildare County Council and that available to little Naas ‘were two totally different things’. “And I don’t understand why we weren’t told that this deal was being done,” he followed up with a left hook.
The manager is an old hand at his ringcraft, though, and the blows only hit air. “I’m not saying it need be 50-50,” he murmured. “But there has to be some recognition for integration.”
The crowd was shouting now, and the referee ... oops, the chairman, snapped his fingers for attention. He wasn’t in control, though, then rang the bell himself before the round was over, adjourning the debate to allow two waiting delegations make their presentations.
When these were over an hour or so later, the manager unfortunately had to leave the arena. He walked out smiling quietly. The next round will be fought in committee, without public or press.
The UDC councillors might as well throw in the towel now.
Shopkeepers being asked to reduce waste
NAAS, 21 November 2000: by Trish Whelan. Shopkeepers and businesses in Naas are being asked if they would be prepared to take part in plan that would reduce the levels of trade and commercial ‘waste’ in the town.
RecycleNet is working with Naas Chamber of Commerce and Industry to assess the potential for the recovery and recycling of materials from such waste. This will be done by means of a survey seeking the level of support from businesses for the whole concept of recycling their waste materials.
Mary Bhogal, President of Naas Chamber of Commerce says the Chamber has been conscious of the amount of refuse left out on the street footpaths overnight which could possibly pose a danger to the public or be set alight by vandals. Hence the necessity for an evening collection, if this is possible.
“It will be necessary to evaluate just how many businesses are interested in recycling, bearing in mind there will be a service cost involved,” she said.
She says an audit of waste output from potential participants in the scheme will also be required. Businesses are being asked the method of waste disposal they use in their business, how it is stored for collection, collection times, if they consider recycling and if so, if they would be prepared to segregate items and hold them separately for collection.
The waste will vary between dry material (cardboard and plastic) and wet or organic waste (food industry and florists). According to Mary Bhogal, this could be composted and while there is no central composting facility available in Naas, the idea could be explored further.
The Naas Chamber says the establishment of a central composting facility for the organic fraction of trade waste would require the input of Naas UDC but would prove a useful part of a pilot scheme and make the scheme more comprehensive, particularly where food waste and floristry waste are concerned.
RecycleNet, in conjunction with Naas Chamber of Commerce, will be carrying out this survey in the coming weeks.
Women entrepreneurs graduate
KILDARE GENERAL, 21 November 2000: by Bill Trapman. Fifteen Kildare women entrepreneurs have graduated from the National College of Ireland with certificates in Small Business Management.
The course was supported and funded by Kildare County Enterprise Board under the Women in Business Initiative, a dedicated programme aimed at encouraging an enterprise culture and providing education on business matters and skills.
“We’re really about enabling more women to participate in microbusiness in Kildare,” says women’s enterprise project manager Dolores McCarthy. “These are the second group of graduates of this programme. Currently there are 23 new participants who will graduate next November.”
The certificates achieved by the participants carry access credits towards a degree course.
Those presented with certificates were Brenda Brady, Kill; Jackie Hobbs, Maynooth; Margaret McDonnell, Ballysax; Oonagh Parent, Naas; Helen Coe, Naas; Avril Walsh, Naas, Eileen McMahon, Maynooth; Nina Patterson, Celbridge; Julie Bambrick, Ballytore; Elsie Nolan, Castledermot; Mary Aherne, Kildare; Nora Duggan, Allenwood; Catherine Lynch, Maynooth; Brid Keegan, Clane; and Deirdre Donohue, Clane.
STRAFFAN, 20 November 2000: by 
