Minutes of the November Meeting of Kilkee Town Council held on Monday 7th December 2009, at the Sweeney Memorial Library, Kilkee

Cathaoirleach sa Cathair

• Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan

I Láthair

• Cllr. P. Collins
• Cllr. B. Keane
• Cllr. K. Reilly
• Cllr. M. Owens
• Cllr. M. McGrath
• Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes
• Cllr. PJ Lardner

Apologies

• Cllr. C. Haugh

I Láthair

• N. Kaye, Acting Director of Services Housing and Social Policy
• J. Corry, Acting Town Clerk

Minutes of the November Monthly Meeting of Kilkee Town Council held on Monday 2nd November 2009 at 8.00 p.m. at the Sweeney Memorial Library, Kilkee

Cllr. K. Reilly mentioned that she had discussed with J. Corry about having different areas finished that needed to be done in the aftermath of the roadwork’s on the Carrigaholt Road.

J. Corry mentioned that he had discussed same with the Town Engineer and that same would be done.

Cllr. P. Collins queried if the Town Clerk had got a figure on the NPPR for Kilkee.

J. Corry indicated that he had been trying to obtain these details from Clare County Council but that he had not yet received the details owing to a backlog of work with Clare County Council. He added that he would continue to try and obtain these details.

As there were no other matters arising the minutes were:

Proposed  for adoption by Cllr. P. Collins

Seconded by Cllr. M. Owens

Overdraft Approval

J. Corry indicated to the members that approval was sought for the temporary borrowing in the sum of €10,000 by way of overdraft accommodation on  Kilkee Town Councils bank account for the period 1st January 2010 to 30th June 2010. He added that it was prudent to make overdraft facilities available even if only required for short periods and that having the overdraft facility available did not create a cost unless it was utilised.

The overdraft approval was proposed by Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan and seconded by Cllr. P. J. Lardner.

Boundary Extension

N. Kaye indicated that as a lot of resources were diverted to the flooding crisis in recent weeks that it was not possible to have a map prepared as of yet.  She said that she was proceeding with preparation of the map having regard to the inclusion of Moore Bay and Cluain na Mara and also having regard to what was discussed at previous mtgs of the Council. 

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan asked if the general rule of thumb of having the boundary extending one mile beyond each of the 30 mile speed limits could be considered to allow for any future expansion, etc.

Cllr. P. Collins queried as to what the population of Kilkee would need to become in order to become a rating authority.

N. Kaye indicated that she would check same and get back to Cllr. Collins .

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan queried if there was any possibility of Kilkee getting any benefit of the €200 collected per residence for the NPPR. 

N. Kaye suggested sending a resolution to the DoEHLG re same.

It was agreed to send a resolution to the DoEHLG calling on them to allocate a percentage of the monies collected through the NPPR scheme to Kilkee Town.  It was agreed that a copy of the resolution could be sent to the County Manager as well.

Allender’s Field

J. Corry indicated that he had held a meeting with the Head Gardener in the Vandeleur Walled Garden re Allender’s Field in the past week. He added that the gardener had assured him that the plants planted in September were thriving.  He also suggested that a temporary wind mesh should be put around the plants to protect them and that the boulders could then be installed at a later stage to improve the aesthetic appearance of Allender’s Field.  J. Corry confirmed that the gardener was monitoring the shrubs planted once a fortnight and that it was hoped that further planting could take place in Spring.

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan said the gardener was doing an outstanding job in the Vandeleur Walled Garden and if that is what he was recommending then she did not have any difficulty with this.

Beach Bye Laws

N. Kaye indicated that by following the procedures re the making of a Bye Law as per Local Government Act 2001 that it would take a number of months for same to be prepared.

J. Corry indicated that the Clare County Council Bye-Laws were available for inspection in the Library

N. Kaye suggested inviting some of the interested groups before the January meeting to discuss the Bye-Laws, in advance of preparing draft Bye Laws which could then go on Public Display.

It was agreed that representatives of the following would be invited to attend:

1) The Rescue Centre          6) The Boat Club

2) The Dive Centre   7) The Currach Club

3) The Fishermen      8) Chamber of Commerce

4) The Swimming Club         9) Civic Trust

5) The Angling Club  10) Tidy Towns

Cllr. P. Collins said everyone would need to be notified and that the Members could spread the word re same.

It was agreed that the meeting would take place at 7pm, in the Sweeney Memorial Library immediately prior to the January meeting.

Cllr. P. Collins said that there were certain issues that needed to be decided upon by the Council in advance of preparing the draft Bye Laws. He mentioned that such items would include:

1) The shelters on the promenade; are we going to charge rent for same, or allocate a free for all.

2) Casual Trading on the beach and on the promenade

3) Ban swimming at the pier.

4) Define the boundary.

5) Determine the season.

6) Exemption of Bye Laws to allow flexibility at certain events, e.g. Strand Races, Tag Rugby, etc.

7) Use of Jet Skis

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan said there needed to be regulations re Jet Skis. 

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said the jet ski users didn't adhere to regulations. 

Cllr. P. J. Lardner agreed. He said that this had been a problem all around the country.

J. Corry said that the Clare County Council Bye-Laws restricted any fast power boats, etc. from being within 300m of the low water mark. 

Cllr. P. Collins said this would be well outside the pier. 

N. Kaye said the issue of jet skis could also be put on the agenda of a future J.P.C. meeting.

Fix date for an information session and tour of Aras Contae an Chlair

N. Kaye apologised to the members for the postponement of the scheduled information session in November owing to the flooding crisis.

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan confirmed that there was no apology needed as the crisis management team were doing a tremendous job for those affected by the flooding

The other Members agreed. 

It was agreed to include the fixing of an information session as an item for the January meeting.

Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr. Haugh Hayes

 "I would like the Town Council to discuss the importance of getting a Town Plan organised for Kilkee so that we have a focus for the coming years"

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said it was essential to have a plan to focus where the town was going for the next 4½ years.  She said this involves the business, youth, and indeed every part of Kilkee.  She felt that if you had a plan that it would be easier to achieve targets.  She accepted that it would cost money but felt that it would be essential.  She added that Kilrush had a town plan and that it worked very well.

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan agreed with the motion.

N. Kaye said there was a statutory requirement for Kilrush Town Council as a rating authority to have a town plan.  She added that the County Development Plan was being reviewed at the moment which would take approx. 2 years.  She said it would not be easy to do such a town plan for Kilkee from a resource point of view.  She said it would be a complex issue and would not be a priority at the moment . 

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes felt that Kilkee could not wait. 

Cllr. P. Collins suggested that if they had the framework/template for such a plan that they could work on this.

Cllr. B. Keane asked if the town had not had a town plan done previously?

Cllr. P.J Lardner agreed that they had. 

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan said that the Kilkee Planning Review Group had indeed a plan drawn up which was a substantive piece of work and would be available to the Members.  She said she could get a copy of same. 

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said there was no point in having another plan drawn up if this plan was available.

Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr. Haugh Hayes

"As a member of the Chamber of Commerce i would like a meeting and date to be set so that the Chamber and the Town Council could meet"

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said it was important that a meeting was held with the Chamber.

N. Kaye said that it could be included as an item on the agenda for the main January meeting and that the Chamber could be invited.

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said Johnny Redmond was the Chairman of the Chamber and he could be invited.  It was agreed that John Williams and Donal Hayes should also be contacted. Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes agreed to inform the contactees re same.

Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr. Haugh Hayes

 "That the Kilkee Town Council website be updated in conjunction with Kilkee Chamber of Commerce, this has not been updated in the last several years yet there has been a maintenance charge applied to every budget"

Response submitted by John Corry, Acting Town Clerk

On discussing the matter with Mr. Urban McMahon, Head of Information Systems, Clare Co. Council he advised that the annual payment budgeted and paid by Kilkee Town Council in respect of website development  was a payment to the Local Government Computer Services Board in respect of hosting the kilkee.ie website. This hosting charge is a standard charge which solely relates to the safety of the website etc.

Any information to be updated on the website should be forwarded to me and I can arrange for same to be updated.

Response Ends

 Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said she was fully satisfied with the Town Clerk's reply.

J. Corry indicated that the newsletter was no longer being updated on the website. He added that there was no issue whatsoever with the website being updated and he suggested that any items which the Members felt should be included on the website should be forwarded to him and he would arrange for same to be included on the website. 

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said the Chamber were updating their website at the moment and she felt that it would be important that it would be closely linked with the Kilkee.ie website. 

J. Corry agreed and said he would discuss same with the head of I.T. in Clare County Council.

Cllr. M. McGrath said he would check with the parish about having the newsletter forwarded to the Town Clerk so that he could include same on the website.

Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr. Collins

"That Clare County Council carry out a complete re-surfacing of Post Office Lane due to its unsafe condition."

Response submitted by Derek Troy, Town Engineer

Post Office Lane will be considered under the Clare County Council 2010 Road Surface Dressing Programme, which is currently being prepared.

Response Ends

Cllr. P. Collins said there were 8 rated businesses using the Post Office Lane and it had become a very busy thoroughfare as it linked the Circular Road with O'Curry Street.  He said the road was very potholed and very uneven and the drains were not working right. 

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan asked if it was owned by the County Council. 

Cllr. P. Collins said that it was as far as he was concerned as Clare County Council repaired the potholes.

Cllr. M. McGrath and Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan agreed with the motion.

N. Kaye said that it would be the middle to the end of January before road grant allocations would be notified to Clare County Council.  She said that as soon as she received same that the Roadworks Programme could be decided upon. 

Cllr. P. Collins said that when private houses were built there that planning contributions would have been paid re roads.

Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr. Collins

"That Clare County Council in association with the ESB place an extra street light in St Patrick’s Terrace."

Response submitted by Derek Troy, Town Engineer

A quotation will be sought from ESB Contracts for the provision of an extra street light, and will be considered under Clare County Council 2010 Public Lighting Programme.

Response Ends

Cllr. P. Collins said that this issue had been going on for 20 or 30 years.  He added that if you passed St. Patrick's Terrace at the moment that there was no street lights working.  Cllr. P. Collins said that one bulb needed to be replaced. 

N. Kaye said that for public lighting Eirtricity were now contracted to provide same and that she would be negotiating a better deal with them. 

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan mentioned other areas lighting needed to be provided at were Miltown Road and Church Street. 

J. Corry suggested that the members forward to him details of locations where there were faulty lights around the town. 

N. Kaye said an inventory had been done on all public lights throughout the county as part of the process of moving business from the ESB to Eirtricity.  She said the contract with Eirtricity expires in December 2010 but in the meantime that there will be a procurement process to identify new service providers so she hoped she would get a better deal on both the energy side and on the maintenance side. 

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan said she had also raised with the Town Clerk re lighting in the convent. 

J. Corry added that he was following up with planning re same.  He also indicated that he had spoken with the Town Engineer re replacements of lighting at the Zebra crossing and that same was being followed up on.

Cllr. P. Collins said that it was very important that lighting in St. Patrick's Terrace be highlighted as it was very dark there and a lot of elderly people lived there.

Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr. Collins

"That Clare County Council replace the hand rail at the Ball Alley steps at the West End steps on Health and Safety Grounds. "

Response submitted by Derek Troy, Town Engineer

Kilkee Civic Trust has proposed works at this location in 2010, and Clare County Council will assist in works when a full plan has been prepared. The handrail will be replaced/repaired as required in conjunction with these works.

Response Ends

Cllr. P. Collins said works were carried out by Kilkee Civic Trust about 3 weeks ago.  He added that the steps had been repaired at the bottom, funded by a grant the Civic Trust got from the Heritage Council.  He added that the handrails were in very bad condition and were dangerous at the moment.

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan commended the Civic Trust on the work they did a couple of weeks ago.

Cllr. P. Collins said if a new handrail goes in that it needed to be maintained.

Cllr. P. J. Lardner said if it was to be done properly that the steel would need to be dipped. 

Cllr. B. Keane suggested that it be done in stainless steel as it would be cheaper.

Correspondence

The Notice of Motion from Mullingar Town Council, dated 5th November 2009, calling on the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to give his full public support to all town councils was supported by the Members.

The Notice of Motion from South Tipperary County Council, dated 5th November 2009, calling on the abolition of FÁS in its current format in view of the ongoing revelations was discussed.

Cllr. P.J. Lardner said that FÁS schemes were very important to villages and towns. 

Cllr. L.Marrinan Sullivan said the motion was worded very poorly.  She felt that FÁS needed to be revamped to protect the work being carried out by the people highlighted by Cllr. Lardner.

The Motion was marked as read rather than having a vote on it.

14. A.O.B

1) Cllr. K. Reilly said she would like a vote of congratulations to be sent to Ger Keane and his committee on the launching of their book which was a fabulous success. 

This was agreed by Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan.

2) Cllr. K. Reilly recommended a vote of sympathy be passed to Deirdre Carmody on the sudden death of her sister Mary Carmody.

3) Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan thanked the Members for the work they had done during the year and especially to the new members on the work they had carried out for the last 6 months.  She also thanked J. Corry and N. Kaye.  She said that 2010 might initially bring changes which might not appear for the best but in the long run could help us to have a better country with more accountability. She also wished to congratulate all workers who were involved in the flooding crisis and she sympathised with those affected by the flooding.  She said that there needed to be lessons learned re planning in future.

4) Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes mentioned that she was at the Tourism Conference in Ennistymon and she was shocked that Kilkee was not represented at this conference and that there was no information re Kilkee.She said that Kilkee would have to be highlighted more as a tourist attraction, as it appears to be lost at the moment.  She felt that there had to be a lot more effort put into it.

Cllr. L. Marrinan Sullivan said she took a lot of hope from the West Clare Economic Task Force and the work they were doing.  She said Kilkee needed to be re-established for the premier resort that it was.  She felt that everybody needed to understand what their role was.  She said the Town Council could do its bit but the agencies needed to come on board and that is why she felt that the Task Force was going in the right direction.

Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes said she spoke to Aidan Pender from Bord Fáilte at the conference and she felt that it may be beneficial if he attended a future mtg of the Town Council to try and promote tourism in Kilkee.

J. Corry asked if Cllr. E. Haugh Hayes would forward him details and he would contact him.

N. Kaye thanked the members both new and former councillors for the work they had done during the year, and for their support and she wished them a Happy Christmas.

As there was no further business the meeting concluded.