Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Meeting was a night of communication

With some 40 people in attendance at last night’s public meeting with local representatives, the KCA-hosted event could be deemed a fairly successful initiative, writes Brian Byrne.

Not least because there were also no less than 11 local representatives present, which may well be a first for the community, or any community of our size.

They included the three TDs of Kildare South, Martin Heydon FG and the two FF deputies, Ceann Comhairle Sean O’Fearghaill and Fiona O’Loughlin.

The Mayor of Kildare, Ivan Keatley, was also in attendance, along with Naas Municipal District councillors Ann Breen, Fintan Brett, Billy Hillis, Seamie Moore, Sorcha O’Neill, Rob Power, and Darren Scully.

The chairman of Kilcullen Community Action, Ray Kelly, moved the evening along efficiently, highlighting issues under a number of headings, items which had been submitted by KCA members and local people.

At the beginning he read from a Diary report of the last time there had been such a Town Meeting, in advance of the local elections at which the current councillors had been elected, and he noted that almost all of the issues mentioned then were still problems today. “Basically everything that was mentioned at that meeting two years ago is nearly a photocopy of what was said then,” he said. “Nothing has been done.”

He said there have been ‘positives’ in a number of areas, but typically there are still issues in business support, footpaths, road design safety, traffic, and communication from the Council on things that are planned.

“Now, though, we want to look to the future,” he finished his preamble, and the meeting continued with focus on details. In the course of the next hour and a half, a significant amount of update information was given back by some of the local representatives on some of the issues raised.

The meeting concluded with a period of socialising over refreshments at which, hopefully, a closer relationship with the representatives was cemented.

The Diary is preparing a complete report from the evening which will be published later.