Minutes of Annual General Meeting of the Thomastown Tidy Towns Committee
held in the Concert Hall, Marsh’s Street at 19h30 on Wednesday 22 February 2012
Present Action by
Carol Whelan (CW)
Colin Castle (CC) Chairperson
Eileen O’Mahoney (EOM)
Joe Doyle (JD) Treasurer
Margaret Farrrell (MF)
Rocky Stone (RS)
Lisa Karkut (LK) Secretary
Teresa Slattery
Mairead Rohan (MH) (Guest Speaker)
Sergeant Ted Hughes (Thomastown Garda)
Caitriona O'Dea (Thomastown Garda)
Noel Lindy (Thomastown Garda)
Oscar Ryan (TCRT)
Seamus Quigley (Community Hall)
6 members of the Public
(Constitutional requirements fulfilled as over 1/3 of the committee members in attendance and the agenda was advertised 21 days prior to the meeting.)
Apologies. Frank Delahunty, Tom Treacy and John Landy.
Guest speaker – Mairead Rohan of CKLP. Ireland has a good reputation for effectively delivering Leader projects. The current program is expected to run until the end of 2014. Leader is available to help organizations like the Tidy Towns. There is an excessive amount of paperwork however, so generally projects under €1000 would not be considered. €200 000 is the absolute maximum. Approximately half of the €11.5 million has already been used/accounted for within Kilkenny. MH suggested that we should put forward any projects in the next 3-4 months in order to take advantage of the remaining funding. Leader operates on a first come first serve basis. Alternatively there may be an opportunity at the end of the program when the nationwide unspent monies will be pooled.. Applicants will have to move quickly to avail of these funds. Leader will sponsor 75% of the capital costs of a project meaning that 25% has to be provided by the applicant as well as bridging funds. For analysis and development projects 90% funding is available. There are 10 measures that a project may fall under in order to be considered (see attached).
Minutes of the previous AGM. Jim Maher, seconded by RS, proposed the acceptance of the 2011 minutes. Matters Arising from the Minutes of the previous AGM - TS has begun talking with local businesses who will continue to pursue the options of a Thomastown business forum/chamber.
Chairman’s Report. (See attached)
Special mention – Congratulations to EOM for her work at Castle Avenue Estate which has led to the formation of a Resident's Committee. Best of luck to Chairman Liam Burke and his team!
Congratulations to the Community Hall Management Committee and Seamus Quigley in particular, for their great work.
Thank-you - to our local litter pickers who contribute all year-round in keeping Thomastown and surrounding areas clean: Jim Maher, Catherine HIggins, Mandy Walsh and John Landy.
Thank-you - to Carmel Hynes & the FAS workers who have done a lot of hard work around town.
Comments – Sergeant Ted Hughes stated that the preparation of the cases regarding the vandalism that occurred on 1 July 2011 are nearing completion and the culprits will be brought before the Courts shortly.
Comments – JD, commenting on the unavailability of FAS workers for the Minogues Lane project, said that if FAS workers can work on the church grounds, which are private property, then they should be able to work on Minogues Lane! The Chairman agreed to follow up on this matter.
Treasurer’s Report. (See attached)
Comments – Due to government cut backs we will have to find about €2000 this year to cover the cost of materials needed by FAS employees to do their work. We are also aware of three other groups in Thomastown which are bidding for FAS services. This means we will have access to less of their time. We anticipate grant funding to be cut as well which means we will have to double our fundraising efforts. Jim Maher suggested that golf classic tournaments are a great way to raise money for charities. It requires a considerable amount of organization but having one major effort could be more effective than numerous small ones.
Election of Committee Members. Nine of ten members of the existing Committee agreed to stand for the next year. Frank Delahunty's position is open to a new committee member. Office bearers will be elected at the first meeting of the new Committee in March 2012. We are also always looking for “friends of Tidy Towns.”
Items from the Floor.
1. Dog fouling has been raised as a major problem in Thomastown. CC has been in contact with the
Kilkenny Environment Awareness Officer who has stated that it has become a widespread problem throughout the entire county and beyond. The council is about to launch a new campaign to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets. Part of the problem is that there are only two dog wardens for all of Kilkenny and Carlow. CC suggests that the wardens do a licence sweep and inform dog owners of their responsibilities at the same time. Comments from the floor – New Ross has just put up new dog foul bins around town so this may be something for Thomastown to look into. Could we put up more signs?
2. Community Alert/Neighbourhood Watch - Sergeant Ted Hughes explained a new program that is currently underway. Thomastown has been broken into areas that have/will be assigned a Garda liaison. This Garda Officer will introduce him/herself to every resident in their given area and be made available to discuss any concerns. Sergeant Hughes is also happy to support anyone who decides to set up a neighbourhood watch. Comment from the floor that the most reassuring thing to see is Garda on the beat. Sergeant Hughes replied that there are insufficient resources to have Garda on the beat all the time but they do try to have a Garda presence on the weekends which has shown to be successful. There are four Garda reserve members (volunteers) which is as many as they can currently handle. Sergeant Hughes commended the work completed by the Tidy Towns and stated the Gardai's support for their efforts.
Next Meeting – February 2013.
CHAIRMANS REPORT FOR AGM 2012
FORMATION 27 Nov 2007
Committee – Started the year with 9 and gained one.
13 Meetings in 2011
3YP – Short, Medium and Long term plans for ourselves that are updated annually. It identifies
projects and their priorities. Anyone wishing to see the 3YP is very welcome. Mention four possibles, ie painting the toilets, landscaping the bottle bank at SuperValu, re-instating the walls on both sides of Minogues Lane in the area adjacent to St Marys School and the Upper Paddock..
Funding – Contributions from Residents - Church Gate Collection and Bag Packing
- Direct Donations
Contributions from Businesses - Collection Boxes
Happy Valley Festival - Proceeds from raffle ticket sales
KCC - Amenity Grant €1200
KCC - Litter Grant €602
KCC - Bottle Bank Grant €400
Government Cutbacks – A reduction in the number of Community Workers available has restricted our activities. The reduction in funds available this coming year will mean that in order to maintain the cleanliness and tidiness of the town we will have to find another €2000! There is also likely to be a reduction in some of the grants on which we have become dependent. Explain refuse bags and disposal of the litter collected viz-a-vis the Litter Grant, ie we pay for removal.
The old granite slabs from the Church steps have been donated to us for future use, probably on the Upper Paddock entrance walkway.
Projects
Grennan Castle View Point; Final Phase of grassing and plantings
Nore River Benches; Two additional footings in front of Mullins Castle
Litterbin repositioned at Mullins Castle
Moonteen Viewing and Picnic Area; Additional fencing and a viewing platform with information panels(mention planning process)
Newtown Terrace; repair of retaining wall and soil infill
Cloghabrody; Pedestrian footpath repaired and upgraded by KCC
Soup Kitchen Memorial; Stone cleaned
Maudlin Court Entrance; minor ground works to tidy up area of sign
Dangan Terrace junction kerb laid and tarred by KCC, Flower box made and placed
Mill St/ The Mall (Dr Drynan’s side) kerb tarred by KCC
Farm Gates within the 50km/h speed zone painted oxide green by the owners
Bicycle Racks ?
Low Street Alcove mosaic panels (millstones to come)
Christmas Window Competition. Successful outcome, 1st was Gorgeous, Karen Morgen and The Blackberry Café were runners up. 15 Highly Commended Certificates were awarded.
Leasing the Upper Paddock from KCC for biodiversity purposes.
Irelands Dirty Old Towns. We have shown the organisers some of the projects we would like to undertake and great interest has been shown in the potential of the Upper Paddock. Its too early for action in this respect and it will require an enormous involvement of the local community in terms of funding and physical work.
Landscaping
Arbor Day. Tree planting along the Inistioge road. Trees donated by KCC.
Baskets, Troughs and Beds, some sponsored and some cared for by local residents
Acknowledge donations from residents and a landscaper of trees, shrubs and plants.
Mention must be made of the vandalism that took place on 1 July 2011 which involved the upturning and damage to the mosaic planter and the destruction of a wooded tub and contents in Market Street. Court case has not yet been held.
Litter
KCC Grant of €602 is for the collection and disposal of litter throughout the year. We
received bags, gloves, bibs and pickers for general use and for the April Spring Clean. We have four volunteers who litter pick on a regular basis: Catherine, Mandy, Jim and John who do a marvellous job. During Adjudication (Jun to end Jul), Litter Hot Spots are allocated to Committee Members and other helpers. Spring Clean last year we had a total of 42 volunteers who collected 62 full bags of litter from the immediate area of Thomastown. Litter levels in Thomastown have dropped noticeably. The Bottle Bank which is emptied every Friday, is still being used by some people to dump rubbish and others are just leaving their bottles and cans, but we keep the KCC Enforcement Officer informed.
We will again take part in the Annual Spring Clean in April.
Castle Avenue Residents Organisation. A Committee now exists and much work has already been done by and in conjunction with KCC including; new parking bays, new arrangements for grass cutting, cleaning up and converting the old tarmac playground into a green area which may well be a good link to the Thomple, tree planting and a name stone for the Estate. We hope such success will spread to Mallfield and The Meadows. Well done to Liam Burke and his team. We urge other residents to take responsibility for their own areas as no one else is going to do it for them
Community Involvement. We have approached nine local Clubs and Organisations with a request that they get their members involved in some specific activities. At this point only the Scouts have responded.
We appeal to any groups that feel they could contribute to the general outlook of the town to come forward. We congratulate the Community Hall Management for the tremendous work done around the community centre. If only more groups were so proactive.
Small Works
Newtown Terrace Park wall power washed and repaired
Wildlife – Owl Boxes (No occupants yet!)
Bird Boxes St Mary’s School and Moonteen VA
Bat boxes (2) have been positioned along the Nore behind Murphys and Meylers.
Schools Green Flag – St Mary’s School which was awarded their first Green Flag early last year held the official Flag Raising Ceremony in November.
Heritage Trail – Map and brochure compiled but not yet published. Research and estimates for information boards continue.
Underground Cabling – Research for possible sponsors continues through liaison with other Towns that have had this done. Callan and Ballyragget are two.
Blogsite – This has been updated with a variety of photos showing our completed projects.
Community Services Employees (FAS) – most of the hard work done on projects has been carried out by FAS employees. Willing help and interested involvement.
Visit to the European Parliament in Brussels. We were invited to join a number of other groups on a two-day trip to Brussels, travel and accommodation costs included. We declined in the light of the present economic and financial situation in the country. Our suggestion for the funds saved to be given to us for local use fell on deaf ears!
Tidy Towns Competition –
ENTERED THE COMPETITION IN 2008 – BEST NEW ENTRY – OUR SCORE - 217
IN 2009 - OUR SCORE - 225
IN 2010 - OUR SCORE - 237
IN 2011 - OUR SCORE - 245
ALTHOUGH THE COMPETITION IS AN INCENTIVE (IT IS A SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR WINNING ONE OR SEVERAL OF THE PRIZES ON OFFER) OUR MISSION WAS AND STILL IS MAKING THOMASTOWN ‘A TOWN OF WHICH THE RESIDENTS ARE PROUD AND WHICH OFFERS VISITORS AN ATTRACTIVE, INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING STOPOVER’. WE ARE NOT ENTERTAINERS BUT IF WE CAN KEEP OUR ENVIRONS IN GOOD ORDER, ATTRACTIVE AND INVITING, VISITORS CERTAINLY WILL BE DRAWN TO OUR PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT.
WE LIKE TO THINK THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED THIS IS IN SOME MEASURE.
C J Castle
Chairman
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