Source : Athenry A.D.C. Publication-The Athenry Journal, No 18, (2004)

First year

The Community Council has just finished its first year into its term and continues to be very active in representing Athenry and in developing its latest projects.

Car Parking

In terms of representation the Council had meetings with Galway County Council on the provision of car parking areas. Some possible sites were suggested and while some were ruled out as unsuitable for certain reasons a number are still being pursued and hopefully provision of car parks will happen in the short to medium term.

The Traffic Management Plan

The Traffic Management Plan was also discussed and the amendments to the plan are now being put on display. Among other changes proposed are the removal of the loading bay on Court Lane beside the Post Office, the making of McDonald’s lane One Way and changes to the Right of Way at the Arch. These proposals will be up for public discussion in the near future.

Playground Development

The Community Council is very pleased to join with the Playground Development Group in providing a children’s playground opposite the Abbey. This will be a major plus for the whole community and is a sign of our commitment to the future of the area and the many young parents who have moved to Athenry.

Christmas Lights

The Community Council continues to provide the Christmas lights and Tree and would welcome any donations towards the cost especially from businesses.

Railway Development

The West-On-Track campaign is strongly supported by the Community Council and the provision of a Sligo/Limerick service would give a far greater importance to the station in Athenry. We are also campaigning for a second track to be laid to Galway thereby facilitation a commuter link in the future.

Infrastructure

The lack of local infrastructure is a constant frustration for the Community Council. We have campaigned for many years for footbridges on the rail bridges but meet with little success. Likewise footpaths to new estates and the renewal of existing paths is proving difficult to achieve. Public lighting is another area of concern but we hope for some improvement in this area in 2004.

 Sewerage Scheme

The new IDA development proposed for Athenry adds to the priority for improvement in local services and the €12.5 million sewerage scheme has been included in a submission from Galway County Council to the Department of Environment as a matter of urgency.

Representations have been made to the Office of Public Works regarding the future of their site near the Boy’s National School. It is hoped that it might be made available for parking purposes.

Presentations

In the past few months presentations were made on behalf of Athenry to athlete Paul Hession in recognition of his great achievements in World Athletics, to Canon Tony King to mark his 40 years in the priesthood and to Mr James Kenny, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland to mark his visit to Athenry.

Thanks

The Community Council wishes to thank all who helped it in its various projects especially the Athletics Club, Galway County Council, Shane Coogan Community Warden and Athenry ADC. We wish the Athenry Journal every success in its important local initiative.