Shannon.ie - Town Council Meeting Minutes April 2010
Duff, Fleming, Flynn, McCafferty, McCarthy, McMahon & Mulcahy. ; Bernadette Kinsella – Town Manager & Liam O’Connor – Town Clerk. Cllr. Brennan Opening the meeting the Meara Bhaile congratulated Tony Killeen T.D. on his appointment as Minister for Defence. Councillor Seán McLoughlin, Meara Bhaile, presided. Present were Councillors; In attendance were Apologies;
Proposed by Cllr. Duff, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and agreed; “That the minutes of the March Monthly Meeting of the Shannon Town Council held in the Shannon Town Hall at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday March 2nd, 2010 having being circulated, be adopted and signed by the Meara Bhaile”
Proposed by Cllr. Flynn, seconded by Cllr. Fleming and agreed; “That the minutes of the Meeting on the Community Initiative Fund held in the Shannon Town Hall at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday March 2nd, 2010 having being circulated, be adopted and signed by the Meara Bhaile”
Town Clerk Liam O’Connor noted that clarification had been received on two matters arising from the March Meeting. Legal advice had been received regarding Shannon Swimming and Leisure Centre Ltd and he added that the advice confirmed that Clare County Council have no function in relation to the day to day running and management of the swimming pool. The Town Clerk also clarified that neither Shannon Development nor Clare County Council have an interest in the houses currently for sale in Cill Chais. Shannon Development disposed of their interest in these properties in the 1980’s and the registered owners are “Shannon Community Workshops”. After some discussion it was agreed that a request for a meeting would be sent to Shannon Community Workshops
(a) A letter from Shannon Development regarding the Shannon Free Zone was noted. It was proposed by Cllr. McCarthy, seconded by Cllr. Flynn that a meeting on the issue with Shannon Development would be requested
(b) A letter from McFadden Funfairs requesting the use of the playground car park during the last two weekends in May was noted. It was proposed by Cllr. McCarthy, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and agreed that McFadden Funfairs could use the car park area subject to the normal conditions
(c) A letter from the County Clare Association in New York inviting the Mayor and Town Clerk to attend a function in New York and participate in the St. Patricks Day parade was noted. The Town Clerk outlined that the invitation had not been received prior to the March Meeting and approval for the Mayor’s attendance was required. After some discussion it was proposed by Cllr. MacCarthy, seconded by Cllr. Mulcahy and agreed that the Mayor’s attendance be approved and the cost be advised to Council. (d) A letter from Wolfe Tones Camogie Club requesting funding towards the cost of hosting Felie na Gael was noted. It was agreed that the Camogie Club could apply for funding under the community grants scheme later in the year. (e) A letter from Shannon Swimming and Leisure Centre regarding the ongoing re-development of the Leisure Centre was noted. (f) A letter from the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government in relation to a previous resolution passed by the Council on water charges was noted. (g) A letter from Balgriggan Town Council requesting the attendance of the Meara Bhaile at a reception to celebrate the 150th anniversary of local government in Balbriggan was noted. The elected members queried the benefit of the Mayor attending the reception considering the limited budget available to the council. In response to queries raised the Town Clerk told the meeting that he would detail the expenditure incurred to date on the attendance at conferences at the May Meeting. At this point the Meara Bhaile noted that he would not be able to attend the Irish Public Bodies Meeting in May as proposed at a previous meeting. On the proposal of Cllr. Mulcahy, seconded by Cllr. Fleming it was agreed that Cllr. McCafferty would attend the meeting instead. The Town Clerk is to provide details of the meeting to Cllr. McCafferty. Cllr. McCarthy noted that the IPA had arranged two training seminars for newly elected councillors which were very poorly attended. She added that the A.M.A.I. had lobbied for these seminars to be held which gave the opportunity for newly elected members to learn about the Local Government System. The Town Clerk noted that notice of the training seminars had been circulated to the newly elected councillors. It was agreed that any further notices of training seminars would be placed on monthly meeting agendas for consideration. (h) The following Notices of Motion passed by Clonmel Borough Council were supported by the elected members; “This Council calls on the Minister for Education and Science to immediately reverse the shocking decision to reduce the number of “Special Needs Assistants” providing an invaluable service to children in our Education System, and furthermore that this motion be forwarded to all Local Authorities” “That Clonmel Borough Council request the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to introduce legislation to ban or control the sale of dangerous substances from Head Shops throughout the 26 counties. New laws are urgently needed to cover the sale of dangerous substances from Head Shops” “That Clonmel Borough Council requests the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney T.D. to reverse the HSE decision to centralise all medical card processing, to the PCRS Offices in Dublin. This proposed transfer will result in a total melt down of medical card processing and will restrict the number of medical cards issued” (i) The following Notice of Motion passed by Tipperary Town Council was supported by the elected members; “That this council write to the Minister for Health calling on her to instruct the HSE not to proceed with the downgrading and possible closure of South Tipperary General Hospital as this decision will have a huge effect on people’s health and peace of mind in the County of Tipperary”
The report from the Area Meeting, having been circulated, was noted
Cllr. Fleming noted that the St. Patrick’s Day parade had been a great success. He suggested that a chain of office for the Deputy Mayor might be purchased, so that there would be a chain of office on the reviewing stand if the Mayor wasn’t in attendance. Cllr. McCarthy noted that there was a credit balance of €2,500 left in the St. Patrick’s Day parade bank account and complimented the town centre for their participation in the activities on the day. It was agreed that agenda items no. 6 & 8 would be considered together
Proposed by Cllr. McCarthy, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and agreed; “That this council demand an explanation as to why remedial works associated with removing shrubbery, rubbish etc. at Tradaree Court Flats has not been undertaken as promised”
The Council has prioritised the demolition of the Tradaree Court Flats in it’s Social Housing Investment Programme 2010 as submitted to the Department. This work is subject to a Part VIII planning process and to the necessary funding being provided by the Department. In anticipation of funding being made available, documentation is currently being prepared in order to advertise the contract for the demolition of the flats. It is planned that the necessary notice will be placed in the coming weeks on eTenders. The Council did remove rubbish from this site in January and since then have not received any reports of significant dumping in the vicinity of the flats. As there are no specific resources available to respond to such incidents of illegal dumping and littering any assistance the public can provide in identifying the perpetrators is welcome. Siobhan McNulty Senior Executive Engineer Clare County Council
Proposed by Cllr. Mulcahy, seconded by Cllr. McCarthy and agreed; “I wish to request information regarding the halting site in Shannon and its current unsightly and unsanitary condition. It is clearly visible from the entrance that it is in poor condition. The residents claim no responsibility for same and would like this issue to be dealt with as soon as possible. As Clare County Council have responsibility for this area I would appreciate their assistance in this matter as soon as possible”
There is rubbish strewn around this development, compounded by a substantial volume of rubbish dumped over the Easter weekend. Housing Department is working with Environment colleagues in an effort to identify the culprits. Additionally, Housing staff have sought and secured the co-operation of the residents of Ballymurtagh to participate in a clean up of their development. On this basis the Council will organize removal of the illegally dumped material, at a considerable cost. The serious issue of rubbish and dumping in or at developments of traveller accommodation is tabled for discussion with the LTACC and in the context of the review of the Integrated Strategy for the Co-ordination of Public Services to the Traveller Community in Clare. Fiona Mooney Senior Executive Officer Housing Services In response to concerns expressed by the elected members the Town Manager noted that the tender process for the demolition of Tradaree Court flats had commenced. The demolition required Part VIII approval of Clare County Council and would be considered at the April meeting of the council. Tender documents were almost finalised and the works would be tendered by the end of the month, Once tender prices are received they would be submitted to the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Loal Government for approval
Proposed by Cllr. McCarthy. Seconded by Cllr. Mulcahy and agreed; “That this Council having received details of our footpath allocation from the Department of Transport, be provided with details of when the footpath programme will commence, the works to be completed, whether this work is to be undertaken by direct labour or by contractors and if using County Council employees is the work subject to a detailed contract between the Town Council and the County Council”
A Special Block Grant of €144,000 for the provision of new footpaths and repairs to existing footpaths in Shannon has been received from the Department of Transport. Clare County Council will supplement this funding by €72,000 in order to draw down the grant in its entirety. It is intended to carry out footpath repair works at 6 locations in Shannon namely Aidan Park, Tullyglass Hill, Tullyvarraga Hill, Tradaree, Tola / Dernish Parks and Cronan Estate. I envisage that these works will be undertaken through a mix of both direct labour and contract works. However engagement of contractors is subject to agreement with SIPTU. Commencement of direct labour works depends on provision of additional staffing resources to the area which are urgently required. This grant is made to Clare County Council as the roads authority for Shannon Town and therefore no contract is required. Area Engineer Shannon Area Office Clare County Council
Noting the reply to the notice of motion the elected members expressed concern that the Shannon Electoral Area had expanded but no additional employees had been transferred to the area. Cllr. McCarthy noted that it was imperative that the footpath programme would be delivered on time and that value for money is achieved. She added that it was vital that staff are replaced and hoped that negotiations with the unions would be concluded sooner rather than later
Proposed by Cllr. McMahon, seconded by Cllr. McCarthy and agreed; “That Shannon Town Council demand greater resources from Clare County Council to deal with increasing litter and illegal dumping around the town”
Clare County Council currently allocates 2 general operatives to carry out litter collection duties in Shannon on a full time basis. Additionally the council pays 60% of the cost to employ 2 staff from Shannon Social Economy Maintenance Ltd on litter picking duties in the town. Unfortunately it is not possible to allocate additional resources due to current financial and staff constraints. Area Engineer Shannon Area Office Clare County Council
The elected members expressed concern regarding the amount of illegal dumping and littering in Shannon. It was suggested that an anti-litter campaign should be held, more public litter bins be put in place and that certain areas would be designated in the town where green waste could be disposed. The Town Manager indicated that the suggestions raised would be brought back to the Environment Section of Clare County Council
Proposed by Cllr. Flynn, seconded by Cllr. McCarthy and agreed; “That Shannon Town Council request Clare County Council to remove the prefabs attached to Tullyvarraga Hall. These have been damaged beyond repair due to vandalism and the voluntary group running the hall cannot afford to have this work done”
I will arrange for an inspection to be carried out with a view to preparing an estimate to carry out the works as requested. A source of funding will have to be identified if this work is to proceed. Area Engineer Shannon Area Office Clare County Council The reply to the notice of motion was noted by the elected members
Proposed by Cllr. McCafferty, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and agreed; “I request that the town manager provides a progress report on the Shannon Wetlands Project for debate and discussion at the April Meeting”
The Shannon Wetlands initiative was developed under the auspices of the Clare Biodiversity Group and formed part of the Clare Heritage Plan 2003 – 2007. I understand that the project is now being led by Duchas na Sionna. Liam O’Connor Town Clerk Shannon Town Council The elected members expressed disappointment that the wetlands area had been subject to illegal dumping. Cllr. Duff noted that the aim of the project was to create a nature reserve and clear the area of litter as well as non-native trees. He added that work on the project would commence again in the autumn and that all volunteers would be welcome
Proposed by Cllr. McCafferty, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and agreed; “That the town manager reports on the implications, if any, for the proposed TC2/TC3 developments following the decision by An Bord Pleanala to refuse planning to Sean Halpin/Greenband and to give this council an honest appraisal of the future development of this site, with particular reference to the Arts Centre for Shannon, now that the main architects, Murray O Laoire, have gone into liquidation”
The Shannon TC2/3 Masterplan prepared by Murray O’ Laoire Architects was incorporated into the South Clare Local Area Plan 2009-2015 and is therefore the adopted policy of Clare County Council for this area. As this work is completed it is not in any way compromised by the current status of the architectural firm in question. The implementation of the plan is a matter for Clare County Council and not the consultants. The decision of An Bord Pleanala relates to a particular proposal/planning application and does not alter the Masterplan itself which remains the strategy of the Council for this area. The aspiration for an Arts Centre within the Masterplan area therefore remains a valid objective, resources permitting, and is not in any way compromised by the recent decision of An Bord Pleanala.” Gordon Daly Senior Executive Planner Clare County Council The elected members noted that the proposed development was not in accordance with the development plan. Disappointment was expressed that the masterplan was not in place before the economy went into recession
Proposed by Cllr. Duff, seconded by Cllr. McMahon and agreed; “Shannon Town Council condemn the HSE directive handed down to dentists treating medical card patients, to pull teeth rather than provide them with fillings or root canal as a backward step of massive proportions”
The members expressed disappointment regarding the HSE directive and it was agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Children on the issue. It was further agreed that the following addendum would be added to the notice of motion; “That the civil/public servant who made the decision to pull teeth rather than fill them be named”
Proposed by Cllr. Flynn, seconded by Cllr. McMahon and agreed; “That in view of the increase in robberies and anti-social behaviour in Shannon town and the Smithstown area, that Shannon Town Council request a meeting with the Senior Garda Officer in Shannon as soon as possible” In response to a proposal from Cllr. Flynn to held a public meeting of the Shannon JPC the Town Clerk noted that the next meeting of the Shannon JPC was scheduled for April 26th, 2010, however because of the time limitations involved a public meeting of this committee could not be held on that date He added that the JPC is scheduled to meet 4 times per year and that at least one of these meetings had to be a public meeting. . The meeting then concluded