This article is from page 15 of the 2011-11-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
LACK of resources will be a major barrier if a cold snap creeps in this winter. That was the message delivered at a meeting in Shannon last week, amid concerns that poor weather conditions last winter will be repeated this year.
Senior Executive Engineer Eugene O’Shea gave a presentation to councillors at a meeting of Shannon Town Council. “Resources are going to be a big issue in terms of manpower and financial resources. That’s going to dictate what we can and cannot do,” said Mr O’Shea.
“A number of staff will be on call in the event of an occurrence like the past couple of winters,” he added.
“Our own water conservation crews are checking for leaks on an ongoing basis. We have purchased a number of portable water tanks. They can be dropped off at problematic locations,” he said. He said that a number of council staff have retired or are due to retire, adding, “We are going to need a hell of a lot of more local participation. Manpower will become a greater issue next year because we have some people retiring.”
Mr O’Shea said that if water is scarce during the winter, there will be scheduled shut-offs, the details of which will be publicised. He said that some of the pipes that froze last year were as a result of people leaving their taps on. Fine Gael Councillor Seán McLoughlin asked was it illegal to leave taps running, to which the engineer replied, “I’m not aware if it is illegal but it certainly is unethical.”
“The pipe network in Shannon town itself is quite aged and needs investment. Certainly we are talking about millions of euro to do that,” Mr O’Shea told the meeting.
Asked about the industrial estate, Mr O’Shea said that the services are in the charge of the council. “The main issues last year were in premises that were unoccupied. We had difficulty getting in contact with some occupiers. Shannon Development did come on board and assisted us in shutting them off,” he said.
Sinn Féin Councillor Cathy McCafferty said that some footpaths in the Cronan area of the town were “knee deep” in water, which she compared to “swimming pools”.
Independent Councillor Patricia McCarthy said that salt damaged concrete on footpaths and asked was there an alternative solution. Mr O’Shea said that grit is a more suitable option.
Fine Gael Councillor Mike Fleming said that he has been out of work for the past two years and said the council would be “better off hiring people than leasing a fleet of vans”.
Mr O’Shea replied, “We can’t just take on people willy nilly. We have to go through various procedures.”
The town’s mayor, Councillor Mary Brennan (Fine Gael) said, “I think the magic words are lack of money, more lack of money and workers and falling leaves.”