Minutes of the March 2007 Monthly Meeting of the Shannon Town Council held in the Shannon Town Hall on Tuesday March 6^th 2007 at 6.30 p.m.

Councillor Tony McMahon. Meara Bhaile, presided.
Present were Councillors, Flynn, McCarthy, Lambert, McKee, Duff, Hillery, Mulcahy and McLoughlin.

In attendance : Mr. Gerard Dollard – Town Manager and Tomás Mac Cormaic - Town Clerk

1/03 /07 Minutes of February 2007 Meeting.

Proposed by Cllr. Flynn, seconded by Cllr. McKee and resolved;
“that the minutes of the February 2007 meeting of the Shannon Town Council held in the Shannon Town Hall at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday February 6^th 2007, having been circulated, be adopted and signed by the Meara Bhaile.”

2/03/07 Correspondence.

1. A letter from I.P.B. seeking a nominee to the Annual General Meeting of I. P. B. was read and it was proposed by Cllr. McCarthy seconded by Cllr. Hillery and resolved; “ that the Meara Bhaile represent the Shannon Town Council at this Annual Meeting.”
2. Notification of a visit by a delegation from Linden, Macedonia to Shannon on March 15^th was noted.
   It was proposed by Cllr. McMahon, seconded by Cllr. McKee and resolved;
   “ that the visitors be given a presentation on Shannon and it’s development in the Town Hall followed by an official lunch.”
3. A request by Cronan Residents to make representations to the Town Council on matters of concern to the Association was read and was agreed to meet three delegates from this Association at 6.00 p.m. on Tuesday April 3^rd prior to the April monthly meeting. The Residents Association to submit a list of their concerns for circulation to members prior to Tuesday March 27^th.
4. A “thank you” letter from the Tidy Towns Committee for the Annual Grant from the Town Council was read and noted.
5. Notification from the Oifigeach Forbartha Gaeilge of acceptance of an invitation to address the Town Council at the April Meeting on An Sceim Teanga was read and noted.
6. Confirmation from Shannon Development Company of repairs to access footpaths from the N19 to the Industrial Estate was read and noted.
7. A letter from Eddie Ryan Project Development Officer for an Aviation Education Centre in Shannon was read and noted. The Town Council supports, in principle, this project.
8. An email from a Mr. Kevin Barry who is a resident of Cronan Gardens concerning some problem with parking was read and discussion on this was deferred to the scheduled meeting with the Cronan Residents Association.
9. An email from a Mrs. Heather Halton concerning the rerouting of the Bus Service from the current road between Dernish Lawn/ Tola Park and Tullyglass Hill to the old N19 was read but not supported by the Council who consider the current route more practical for residents in this area. Problems with excessive speed by Bus Eireann on this route should be referred to the Gardai.

3/03/07 Reports from M.P.C.s

Cllr. Flynn said the Industrial, Tourism and Development Committee progress is being made on the publishing and distribution of the newsletter, the provision of bus-shelters and the provision of town maps in strategic places in Shannon. He also congratulated the County Council for the provision Street Name Signs.

Cllr. Duff reported on plans for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Shannon. A group from Cronan will provide the back-drop at the reviewing stand. It is hoped that foreign nationals participationg in the parade will fall-in behind the Le Cheile Banner. Donations of €100 each from Cllr. Flynn and McCarthy were acknowledged and donations from others would be welcome.

Sunday April 1^st has been set aside as a “Fun Day” to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of Town Status for Shannon.

4/03/07 Report from Area Council Meeting.

A verbal report on matters relevant to Shannon Town discussed at the January 2007 Shannon Area Council Meeting was given by the Meara Bhaile. This information is available on the Shannon Web Site.

5/03/07 Barriers at Shannon Olympic Pitch.

Proposed by Cllr. McCarthy, seconded by Cllr. Mulcahy and resolved;
“that Clare County Council provide a height restriction barrier at the entrance to the laneway adjacent to Shannon Olympic Pitch.”
A verbal report from the Area Engineer confirmed that effective action will be taken to prevent unauthorised access to this laneway.”

6/03/07 Affordable Housing Development at Cluain Airne.

Proposed by Cllr. McCarthy, seconded by Cllr. Mulcahy and resolved;
“that an update be provided on the proposal to provide affordable housing at Cluain Airne with specific reference to the number of units proposed, access and arrangements for consultation.”

The Town Manager responding confirmed that no design team has yet been appointed, the number of units has not yet been established and that the promise of consultation will be upheld.

7/03/07 Green Waste

Proposed by Cllr. Flynn, seconded by Cllr. Lambert and resolved;
“that Shannon Town Council request Clare County Council to clarify the policy in relation to dumping of green waste material such as cuttings from trees, shrubs and grass. These materials are being dumped throughout Shannon on our open spaces and there is a lack of clarity coming from the County Council”.
The Town Manager clarified that the dumping of these materials is an offence. Cllr. McCarthy in her capacity as Chairperson of the Environment Committee said that if people concerned about this type of dumping were to provided the information to the Environment Officer the appropriate action would be taken.

8/03/07 Information Maps.

Proposed by Cllr. Flynn, seconded by Cllr. Duff and resolved;
“that Shannon Town Council request Clare County Council to fund the cost of the provision of “Information Maps” throughout Shannon.”
In reply the Town Manager could not commit the County Council to fund these maps without an estimate of the cost.

9/03/07 Estate Management.

Proposed by Cllr. McMahon, seconded by Cllr. McCarthy and resolved;
“Ask Clare C.C. to give an update on estate management, outlining how issues such as anti-social behaviour, noise, littering, etc. are dealt with and what is the policy regarding requests for transfers.”

10/03/07 Written Replies to Notices of Motions.

Proposed by Cllr. McMahon, seconded by McLoughlin and withdrawn in favour of the system that currently exists.
“that Town Councillors get a written response (where applicable and or necessary) to motions placed on the agenda, similar to responses received at area council meetings.”

11/03/07 Invitation to Dog Warden

Proposed by Cllr. McLoughlin, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and resolved;
“that Shannon Town Council invites the dog warden, Mr. Frankie Coote, to a meeting to see how we can help him with the problem of dogs in Shannon.”

12/03/07 Town Centre Traffic Lights.

Proposed by Cllr. Lambert, seconded by Cllr. McCarthy and resolved;
“that the timing of the traffic lights at the Town Centre at Bothar an Aerphort would be examined and adjusted to allow more time for southbound traffic on that road.”

13/03/07 European Development Aid For Shannon Airport.

Proposed by Cllr. McLoughlin, seconded by Cllr. Mulcahy and resolved by seven votes to one vote.
“that Shannon Town Council request the European Commission to investigate why Shannon Airport does not qualify for the Development Aid or Public Service Obligation (PSO) currently in place for regional airports across the country.”
Cllrs. Duff , Flynn, Hillery, Lambert, McLoughlin, McMahon an d Mulcahy supported the motion which was opposed by Cllr. McCarthy. Cllr. Mckee was absent when the vote was taken.

14/03/07 12 Day Rule applied by the Dept of Social & Family Affairs.

Proposed by Cllr. Duff, seconded by Cllr. Flynn and resolved;
“that STC call on the Dept. of Social & Family Affairs to re-examine their 12 day rule in relation to all means tested payments.”

A notice of motion from Cllr. Hiller relating to a footpath from Rosbracken to Skycourt was withdrawn because the work being requested has been completed.

Sínithe ag : _________________________ ar an _______________
Méara Bhaile

Sínithe ag Tomás Mac Cormaic __________ ar an 16/03/07
Cléireach an Bhaile