Search Results for 'Town engineer'

The difference between controlled and uncontrolled pedestrian crossings caused a bit of controversy at Castlebar Town Council’s monthly meeting. Independent Councillor Michael Kilcoyne brought up the issue because of a report that was circulated to the members which outlined a number of pedestrian crossings which had been installed in the town. “In relation to pedestrian crossings, I don’t know where any of these are in the town. I can’t see them anywhere.”

The news that there are currently 581 people on the housing waiting list in Ballina Town council alarmed the elected members at the monthly meeting this week. Town clerk Carmel Murphy told the meeting that a review of the list is being carried out, but at present there were 581 people on the list which was a marked rise on the numbers in the recent past.

The members of Ballina Town Council gave a general welcome to the refurbishment works that will be carried out on Pearse Street in the town, but expressed some reservations in relation to the time scale of the project and the positioning of the taxi rank during and after the process. Town engineer Michael O’Grady told the elected members that the public consultation period of four weeks and the submission period of another two weeks had now passed and that two submissions were received. The submissions were from the Ballina Taxi Association in regard to the position of the taxi rank in the future and Ballina Chamber of Commerce. O’Grady told the members that while the rank will have to be temporarily moved during the refurbishment process, the taxi rank issue was not part of this current process but would have to be dealt with under town council bye laws.

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Councillors were left unsatisfied when they were told by council engineers that public sewers in the Crescent and Griffith Street areas are in good working order.

There was disappointment among the members of Ballina Town Council when town engineer Michael O’Grady revealed that the Department of Transport had cut the grant for the town from €287,000, as was announced in February, to €177,000 due to national budgetary cutbacks.

Athlone Town Councillor Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran has said this week that improvements to roads in estates in the town will be made in the coming weeks and months.

Councillor Myles Staunton, Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, put forward a proposal at last week’s meeting that any conferences which councillors attend must be relevant; that a summary report of what councillors attended is given; that a catalogue of conference information is available to the public; and each councillor will be given €2,000 to attend conferences during the year.

Westport town manager Peter Hynes has said that the issue surrounding traffic in the town — which was discussed during a special meeting of Westport Town Council — is being examined, but as the town “was not designed for the car in mind” it will always mean that it will take some time in order to pass through the town. However if Westport is shortlisted for the Smarter Town Travel scheme and is in receipt of funding Mr Hynes said that cars will eventually be replaced by a larger uptake of people cycling and walking in the town, which will help alleviate traffic problems.

A motion proposed by Fine Gael councillor Michelle Mulherin that a report be commissioned into the “efficacy of the functioning of all aspects of the taxi service in Ballina”, due to the overcrowding of taxis at parking ranks and double parking in the town, was before Ballina Town Council’s reconvened monthly meeting this week.