Levy on new houses in Naas to fund playgrounds NAAS, 20 October 2000: by Trish Whelan. House prices in Naas are likely to be more expensive by £1,000 per unit because of a plan by the UDC to levy that amount on developers in order to finance the provision of playgrounds. The plan comes from a motion by Cllr Seamie Moore (right). This follows general agreement among UDC councillors this week for the creation of a ‘community fund’ and the £1,000 levy. Cllr Moore said the levy could be used to fund playgrounds and other public amenity developments in the town. He said the government's new Planning Bill would provide for these kind of charges. He said was disappointed that the Council believed one playground in Monread District Park would be sufficient in the town for five years. He said to wait another few years to see how that playground works out 'is a bit of a smokescreen'. Cllr Anthony Egan (left) felt they would reap more by levying per unit rather than per acre because of planned higher densities. However, he feared the levy cost could be added to the cost of the houses. The current levy for housing developments in Naas is £8,000 per acre, unchanged for the past six years. In recommending an increase, officials said this figure is out of line with the current costs of the building industry. Funding from this source is already being used to help finance the Caragh Road Sports Centre and the money is fully committed in terms of the grants already given out or promised by the Council.

Gardai call for more security consciousness in winter KILDARE GENERAL, 20 October 2000: by Brian Byrne. Gardai in the Kildare-Carlow Division have issued a warning to the general public to be ‘security conscious’ during the winter months. Crime prevention officer Sgt Mary Corcoran (left) says the dark evenings provide greater opportunities for people to illegally enter homes and other premises, and all owners should assess their current security situation, with a view to installing better locks and other barriers to criminal activity. “In addition, do not allow anyone into your house unless you know their business and identity,” she said this week. “Elderly people should take particular care, and anyone who has any suspicions at all about callers or people in their area shouldn’t hesitate to contact their local garda station.” Community Watch and Business Watch schemes have proved very effective deterrents in the past, and Sgt Corcoran is urging any community or town which does not have such schemes in operation already to strongly consider them. “We also want to remind people who may be leaving their home vacant to let the gardai know. Burglars tend to be skilled in recognising signs that indicate particular houses are vacant, so please try and ensure that your home or premises appear to be occupied even when they are not.”

Club looks for £75,000 for traveller invasion NAAS, 20 October 2000: by Trish Whelan. The estimated cost of the recent travellers incursion onto the Naas UDC grounds at Caragh Road (above) have risen by a further £75,000, following a request from Naas Athletic Club to the UDC for that amount, including the cost of reinstating their grounds. The club’s running track and other facilities were badly damaged by the invasion of up to 80 travelling merchant families in September, many of whom parked their caravans on the club’s property as well as the neighbouring UDC’s. Containers used as dressing rooms by the club were also broken into and wrecked, and these and many parts of the grounds were contaminated with feces and urine. A large amount of asbestos waste, which requires specialist and expensive disposal procedures, was also left around the area, and club officials are on record as saying pitches may have to be resodded before they can be put back into use. The incursion also caused delays on the £1.2 million building project of the club’s new sports centre (below), and it is likely that reimbursement of knock-on building costs from both the delay and the damage done to the part-built construction at the time are being demanded from the UDC. The request for a £75,000 has been made in writing to the UDC. When members were told of it, Cllr Evelyn Bracken (left) questioned the amount, saying there was nothing on the site that couldn’t be cleared up by ‘three men in a day’. Town clerk Declan Kirrane said the request didn’t just relate to cleaning up costs. The UDC also had to employ security during the six-week invasion, and costs estimated at up to £25,000 have already been incurred by the UDC in this respect and for legal fees. “All these extra expenses are wasteful of funds which could be more usefully employed in positive local projects,” says Alan Hore (right), chairman of the residents’ association from the estates directly opposite the land. The association has written to the minister for justice to seek changes in the legislation on this kind of trespass. “The travellers know the limitations of the laws and continue to test them to the limit. They thrive on the inability of the local authorities to deal with this problem. They invariably ask for good-bye money to leave an area and leave when they are ready at the eleventh hour.”  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

£21,000 traffic calming approved CELBRIDGE, 20 October 2000: by Brian Byrne. A £11,000 scheme to provide traffic calming at Scoil na Mainistreach in Celbridge has been agreed by local area councillors. The scheme will now go on public display and then be brought before the full council for final approval. The proposed work involves the provision of a speed cushion on the village side of the school. Deputy Emmet Stagg said that speeding in the area of the school had become a major problem since the opening up of part of the Celbridge Relief Road (below). And a further £10,000 has been approved for traffic calming measures in St Patrick’s Park in Celbridge. This work will include the provision of four speed cushions, although an alternative scheme involving making St Patrick’s Park a cul de sac will be considered if there is sufficient support for it.

National Stud visitors up KILDARE, 20 October 2000: by Brian Byrne. Visitors to the National Stud and the Japanese Gardens are expected to have increased by 15% over last year by the time the tourist season officially finishes at the end of this month. Over 137,000 visitors had arrived at the county’s premier attraction at the end of September, beating the previous record set up in 1996. A new attraction this year has been the St Fiachra's Garden (right). The people who officially broke the old record were Doug and Marie Warren of Lawrencville, Georgia, USA. They were presented with a Waterford Crystal vase with the Irish National Stud logo of a mare and foal. They had toured Dublin, Wexford, Kerry and Tipperary before coming to Kildare. Visitors to the stud from the various key markets have been substantially increased this year, led by an 88% increase from Germany, 74% from the UK, 36% up from Italy and 30% more from North America.

Kilcullen book for launch KILCULLEN, 20 October 2000: by Brian Byrne. An anthology of Kilcullen memories in print will be launched on Sunday night next by local Olympian Susan Shortt. ‘30 Years of The Bridge’ (right) is a 400-page compilation of articles from the town’s community magazine which celebrates its three decades of existence this year. The articles and photographs include the history series An Baile Seo ’Ghainne which provides fascinating insights into Old Kilcullen, Knockaulin, New Abbey, Castlemartin and other local interests. There are also profiles of local people and memories of significant community events, including the nationally-famous ‘Lord Mayor’ fundraising elections, Capers, and the life and times of the Kilcullen Community Council. The launch will take place at 7.30pm in the Town Hall Heritage Centre, and copies of the £12.50 volume will be available at a special price of £10. “We’re expecting that a lot of copies will be bought for Christmas presents for Kilcullen people living abroad,” says the current editor of The Bridge, Noel Clare. The book will also be on sale next week during the intervals at the latest Kilcullen Drama Group production of ‘The Lonesome West’, which has its official opening tonight. This is a World Amateur Premiere of the Martin McDonagh play.

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Canal road in Naas to be closed from tomorrow NAAS, 19 October 2000: by Trish Whelan. The canal road from Tandy’s Bridge to Osberstown Bridge in Naas is to be closed to traffic from tomorrow, October 20 until March 23, 2001 to allow a bridge be built over the canal to service Millennium business park. The bridge will be between Leinster Mills, below, and Osberstown Bridge. But concern has been expressed at UDC level about the closure of this important link road to Naas. Cllr Pat McCarthy said one week’s notice in local newspapers informing of the closing date for objections had been insufficient time. He had called for the time to be extended saying everyone interested in the canal would like to put in their objections to the road closure. The closing date for submissions had been September 29. However UDC officials did not believe a further 500 objections would change the main points in objections already received, but agreed to see if this was feasible. Town clerk Declan Kirrane said Kildare County Council engineers ‘have concerns’ and have requested a detailed work programme from the developers. He warned that people may have to put up with inconvenience for longterm gain. Cllr McCarthy asked why it was necessary to close the road for five months to build ‘one small bridge’ when it had not been closed when the motorway was being constructed. He was also concerned over what may happen to the canal road which would be open to construction vehicles and JCBs while the work was going on. He did not think Duchas, the heritage body, had been consulted on the closure. Cllr Mary Glennon said she would have objected had she known the early closing date. She said many residents of the canal road had received no notification from Naas UDC and so had not been aware of the time limit to object. She said the closure of the road ‘will have a huge baring on the whole town of Naas’. “It’s just preposterous.” she exclaimed. She proposed major applications such as this would be made known to councillors in writing. Town clerk Declan Kirrane said a letter had not been sent to all residents along the canal. He told councillors that Duchas have given permission for the daming of the canal from November 1 to March 1, 2001. Motorists will be able to access Naas via the Sallins Road and Osberstown Road while the work is in progress.

UDC to meet minister over 'difficult' finances NAAS, 18 October 2000: by Trish Whelan. A deputation from Naas UDC is to meet Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy next Monday afternoon in a bid to rescue the council from difficult financial circumstances. This is in spite of recent denials from UDC chairman Pat O’Reilly (right) and town clerk Declan Kirrane that the Council is facing financial difficulties, and allegations of ‘scaremongering’ over a newspaper report to that effect. At a UDC meeting on October 3, the chairman strongly criticised a report in the Leinster Leader about figures discussed in the ‘in committee’ meeting. Cllr O’Reilly said ‘nothing could be further from the truth’ in relation to the alleged difficulties. The town clerk backed him up, assuring councillors that the UDC’s finances ‘were sound for the moment’. However, further reports referring to ‘in committee minutes’ reveal that councillors HAD been given figures that prompted Cllr Willie Callaghan (left) to say the UDC faced ‘a bleak year ahead’. At the October 3 meeting, Cllr O’Reilly said the person who had leaked the information ‘should be honourable and come forward’. He said councillors who leak information should be penalised in some way. “It creates an air of uncertainty and anxiety in certain areas,” he said. Cllr Callaghan supported the chairman’s comments, saying ‘words just don’t come to me over this ... it’s just disgusting and unfair to quote the chairman and officials’. Cllr Timmy Conway said the information indicating that the UDC was financially in trouble ‘undermines’ the Council. He said ‘the real argument is what priorities will we make’? He said people leaked information ‘to get something back’ from the media. Cllr Mary Glennon agreed that ‘things confidential should remain confidential’. She also disassociated herself with any leak ‘especially one that was incorrect’. Cllr Seamie Moore said it was ‘terrible’ to have scaremongering going on. “It reflects very badly that somebody would say that,” he said, but added that some of the things planned by the council ‘may not happen’. “It’s not a Golden Circle effort. This Council gave out almost £1m in grant aid to local community groups in the last 12 months. The record of Naas UDC stands on its own”. Town clerk Declan Kirrane said the finances of Naas UDC ‘are in a very solid situation’ and there will be ‘a very satisfactory audit’ presented to members when it is completed’. Monday’s deputation will include two UDC officials as well as Cllrs Pat O’Reilly, Willie Callaghan, Anthony Egan and, at his own insistence, Independent Cllr Seamie Moore was added to the list. He was supported in this by Cllr Callaghan, although KNN understands that it was the Minister’s wish that only four people should meet him.

Can't spend public pennies NAAS, 18 October 2000: by Trish Whelan. Anyone in Naas Town feeling the urge to spend a penny will have to rely on facilities in pubs, hotels and restaurants for the foreseeable future. Last night Naas UDC put off a decision on the location of its proposed new Superloo until its next monthly meeting. Town clerk Declan Kirrane suggested it be deferred until members could look at the overall plan for the Main Street with aspirations to pedestrianise Market Square and Poplar Square, as well as looking into making Main Street one-way for traffic. It had previously been agreed to place the Superloo to the side of the Court House (right), behind the telephone kiosk. However objections from people in the Court House have scuppered those plans. Cllr Mary Glennon said the loo would ‘do no harm’ to that areas as there are no toilet facilities available to the general public attending court sessions. She suggested the loo could be placed at what was the caretaker’s apartment to the front side of the Town Hall. Officials said Poplar Square and Market Square had also been ruled out as possible locations leaving the Council with little option but to place the loo at the now closed public toilets in the laneway to the side of the Town Hall. These have been closed because of anti-social behaviour taking place. Mr Kirrane suggested it could go closer to Main Street than the existing public toilets. Cllr Seamie Moore felt women would be reluctant to go up the laneway in the dark. Cllr Glennon said public loos are regarded as part of the streetscape in major cities like Paris and London but she agreed with officials that they were not placed close to buildings and so did not detract from them as would be the case in Naas. This, Declan Kirrane said, was the case with the public loo in Newbridge (below) which was not close to a building. Cllr Pat McCarthy suggested officials take another look at putting it at the area of the bus stop in Poplar Square and Cllr Willie Callaghan believed it could go near the trees there. The location of the Superloo was postponed until the next monthly meeting of the authority.

Residents fear 'child will be killed' A meeting of Athgarvan residents last night to discuss speeding. ATHGARVAN, 17 October 2000: 8.30am by Brian Byrne. “If some child is killed outside Athgarvan School, it is 90% likely that the vehicle involved will be a truck.” That chilling comment from the audience sums up the concerns of a group of Athgarvan residents who attended a public meeting last night in the Athgarvan Inn. Speed, trucks, and the lack of infrastructures to deal with a rapidly growing population were the issues aired, and there were demands that something be done to deal with them. In particular, the speed at which large trucks and articulated vehicles travel through the Athgarvan area was a major cause for concern. Many at the meeting pointed out that the 30mph speed limit which starts at Donnelly’s Hollow and finishes along the Kilcullen Road is ignored by virtually every car and truck going along that stretch of road. The numbers of trucks which use the local roads are also a problem, and it was noted that many truckers going from Kildare to Rosslare do so via Kilcullen instead of travelling the motorway to the south Naas junction, from where they could then go south without driving through built-up areas around the Curragh and Kilcullen. It was also pointed out that trucks involved with building work on the north end of Newbridge often travel via Athgarvan rather than go through the town, because they find it saves time. “These roads simply weren’t buillt for trucks, and what we have is a ‘rat run’ for trucks through our village,” one resident commented. An appeal to the gardai to enforce the speed limit was met by a promise from Superintendent J P Fleming that they ‘would do their best’, but he told the meeting that the most he could offer in any eight-hour shift was an hour of speed monitoring in the area. Participants asked if a garda camera could be mounted inside the speed limit area, to automatically detect speeders, but Superintendent Fleming said the cost would be in the region of £30-£50,000 and such resources ‘were scarce’. Cllr Sean O Fearghaill (left), who was at the meeting with his council colleague Senator John Dardis, said that the council had agreed a resolution that the whole Curragh area be designated a speed limit zone, and that this would be coming up again before the council following support from both the gardai and the Department of Defence for the idea. Suggestions that a weight limit on vehicles be imposed were also discussed, but this would cause difficulties to both local farmers and the Army, both groups which used trucks and other heavy vehicles themselves. A suggestion that a permit be required for heavy vehicles to use the area was discussed.

Waste initiative grants welcomed LEIXLIP, 17 October 2000: by Bill Trapman. The award of a grant of £3000 under the Environmental Partnership Scheme to Leixlip Town Commissioners’ LIWI (Leixlip Integrated Waste Initiative) project has been welcomed by the project’s convenor, Cllr Paul Kelly (pictured left with town clerk Mary Foley at an Open Day for the project during the summer). "It's very encouraging to have our project recognised at this level and in such a tangible way" he said. "I'm also delighted that the Kilcock project, from which we took our lead and inspiration, was given a grant of £2,500. These grants will help the initiatives progress their work over the next few months. Following on from our Open Day held last May, we can now go ahead with an intensive education campaign to give information to residents in Leixlip to help them deal with waste in more sustainable ways.” Cllr Kelly says the emphasis should be on prevention and reduction of waste at source, followed by re-use and recycling and he believes there is ‘enormous goodwill’ among people for what the initiatives are trying to do. “What is holding them up is a lack of information and a shortage of services and facilities provided by government and local authorities. In Kildare, we are starting to play our part with the new Civic Amenity Centres, the first of which is scheduled for Kilcock. This will give people in Leixlip, Celbridge, Maynooth, and Kilcock, the opportunity to dispose of waste for recycling in a state-of-the-art accessible facility." Cllr Kelly was in Leixlip's twin town of Niles in the US last week, and was very impressed with their approach. "We visited some of their waste management facilities, one of which, in particular - a baling station - was very impressive. It looked from the outside like a high-tech computer factory, and you couldn't tell from looking at it that it had anything to do with waste. In Niles, they recycle over 40% of their domestic refuse - a huge figure, compared to the targets we in Kildare have set under our new Waste Management Plan. Clearly, we can learn a lot from them, and hopefully, LIWI will help start us on the right track."

Concern over 'names being taken' for planning files NAAS, 17 October 2000: by Trish Whelan. People seeking to look at planning application files in Naas UDC should have their privacy protected, Cllr Timmy Conway (right) has urged. He was commenting on a new rule in the UDC office where people asking for specific planning files are now being asked to give their names and addresses as well as occupations. Staff also note the time files are handed out and handed back. “I can’t understand why this has been put in place,” Cllr Conway said. “It’s a total invasion of privacy. People are entitled to look at these files by law and I don’t know of any reason why their names must be taken.” Cllr Charlie Byrne (left) is also worried at this new procedure saying he doesn’t think it is in line with any UDC policy. “I think it would be very intimidating for people who have a genuine interest in these matters,” he said. “I think it’s just a way of finding out who is looking at what, and I think it’s turning us into a very sneaky council,” he said. However, town clerk Declan Kirrane told KNN that the procedure has become necessary because of thefts of plans and other documents from planning files.

Environmental awareness initiative CARBURY, 17 October 2000: by Bertha Cooke. As part of the Environment Kildare initiative, KELT, the LEADER 11 Programme for Co Kildare is holding an Environmental Awareness Workshop on Sunday 22nd October. The venue is Highfield Golf Course, Carbury, Co Kildare and the event will take place between 11.00am-4.00pm. Speakers will include Dr Anne Behan (right), author of Environment Kildare, and George Hipwell, Coillte forest manager for County Kildare. The event will include the re-launch of Environment Kildare programme and walks through grounds of Highfield for talks and demonstrations on trees and wildlife, hedgerows, timber, responsible choices and uses of timber in the home, garden and environment. The Board of Directors of KELT are inviting all persons with an interest in the environment in Kildare to attend the workshop. There is no charge and information packs will be provided on the day. Further information at 045-861973 or email.  KILCULLEN ESSO AND XL STOP 'N' SHOP Open 7am-10pm for Fuel, Groceries, Toiletries, Flowers, Newspapers, Deli Food, Fresh Coffee and more.

Welcomes playground news NAAS, 17 October, 2000: OPINION by John Kavanagh. I am delighted that the UDC has decided to commit finally to putting a playground in place in Naas and has indicated its support for residents associations who are seeking to put one in themselves. Playgrounds have so much to offer the community and it is important that this exercise is carried out as soon as possible. There are currently around 5,000 children under the age of 14 in the Naas UDC electoral area, yet there are no public playgrounds. Some key points on play grounds are as follows: Child Development - Play is essential to the healthy growth and normal development of children. The opportunity to play in a safe outdoor environment such as playground is vital for developing motor skills and co-ordination and is essential for their mental health, intellectual development and acquisition of social skills. Health - The seeds of heart disease are sown in childhood, says Dr Vincent Martin, Medical Director of the Irish Heart Foundation. The more exercise that children take, the quicker excess fat is cleared from the circulation, and if children don’t exercise, they are storing up problems for later in life. Currently the DOH is embarking on a major exercise to promote healthy lifestyles. Adult habits are learned in childhood. Children need to learn how to play and to enjoy themselves by being physically active. Our society is very competitive and prizes are only awarded for winning rather than participating. Unfortunately, schools are not big into exercise, instead they tend to cream off the best at sports leaving the majority to spectate. Even the PEAI (the representative body for PE teachers) states this. A playground is somewhere every child can participate and everybody is a winner if they take exercise. If the UDC provides play facilities, parents will do their part to ensure today’s children don’t become the next generation of couch potatoes. Safety - There are still some areas in the town where it is safe for children to play but with ever-increasing numbers of cars and little regard for speed limits even within housing estates, safety is a concern for every parent. While the UDC is making efforts to reduce car speeds, this is at a considerable cost and will take time for all estates to be covered Social and Community - A public playground would be used by everyone in the community and would be an ideal place for fostering community spirit. Many families in Naas cannot afford to travel to places outside Naas to use play facilities and cannot meet the cost and space requirements for play equipment at home. The parents who are able to take their children to other playgrounds outside Naas are also spending money outside of the town, money which could be kept in Naas if play facilities were available. This going elsewhere is something, I note from previous reports in KNN, is on the business community’s mind I am aware that several issues and concerns were discussed at the UDC meetings, including insurance, cost, location, supervision and vandalism. Insurance. The the cost of insurance is automatically covered in the UDC policy provided the playground is built to recognised standards. Thus the playgrounds would add nothing to the UDC's bill. Insurance is also addressed in RoSPA?s Children's Playgrounds, which I understand the Irish association for Leisure Management has issued to town clerk Declan Kirrane Cost - I understand that a small sum of money has been earmarked for playgrounds in the past (£10,000) and the UDC has spoken of raising a loan of £90,000. It will cost the UDC to service this loan. I wonder about looking for sponsorship from local businesses who might in future be recruiting people and business into Naas. Banks and business in the town have benefited a lot from the young families that have moved to Naas - I wonder would they like to further show solidarity with these families. Other sources might include KELT who would appear to be supportive of family-friendly initiatives. Supervision and Inspection - Talking with New Ross and other UDCs suggest this would not be too demanding. Examination of the guidelines would agree with this. Perhaps a community/UDC public service partnership might work. Vandalism - Perhaps if the children channelled their energy into playing, they would stop destroying the town. The issue of vandalism has been overcome by other public authorities and is addressed in RoSPA?s Children's Playgrounds. A publication which PUP sent to councillors earlier this year was ‘Giving young people a space of their own’. Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states: "The child shall have full opportunity to play and recreation, which should be directed to the same purposes as education: society and the public authorities shall endeavour to promote the enjoyment of this right." All this and more was stated in a letter by PUP to the UDC seeking an opportunity to meet with the UDC seeking to work in partnership with the UDC for the benefit of the community of Naas. While personally I am delighted that the council has shown its commitment to putting play grounds into Naas, I am disappointed at the attitude the Chair has taken towards parents who wished to offer the benefit of their research into this area. He said that (only) when the UDC programme is in place, would the Council meet with a local group of parents seeking to assist in setting up playgrounds in estates (PUP). Members of PUP have, as I am sure you can see from the above, done a lot of research into this area and would have liked to have passed on the benefit of their research and experience (national and international in this area). PUP have seen strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of other playgrounds and they would like to have (working in partnership) offered Declan Kirrane and his hard-working team the benefit of this. They would have liked to have worked in partnership with those setting up the UDC programme. In gathering the hundreds of names on the PUP petition to the UDC, many comments were heard that might have benefited the UDC's processes and have been approached by people who indicated an ability and willingness to provide practical assistance to the issue of play grounds in the town. Anyway, lets move forward. I want to restate my thanks to the UDC. I hope that with the other child-friendly initiative they have taken in the area - i.e. the speed ramps - that the parents of Naas will by next summer have at least one safe child-friendly public playground in the town. ED: Please note that views expressed under 'OPINION' on KNN are those of the writer concerned, and do not necessarily reflect the views of KNN or its proprietors. This facility is provided in the interests of free speech and public information and may be availed of either to make a point or respond to one.

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Toyota PriusIt's not a new concept - the world's first mass-produced 'hybrid' car has been on sale in Japan since late 1997, but it is now officially here in Europe. In Ireland, the Toyota Prius will go on sale in November ...

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