Category: Uncategorized

CONSTRUCTION work on Ennis’s_ long-delayed €24 million flood defence system is expected to commence in [PA veteyeisatcmmnb eaten

As the Gulf States in the United States struggled to roa} 0) oom ALO ME NO CoMmB ENON O:CeLmmEO)E Hurricane Katrina, Ennis Town Councillors heard how irretrievable damage has al- ready have been done to the town’s flood plains.

Cllr Donal O’Bearra (GP) said, “What has happened in New Orleans has shown that you cannot mess with nature. Ennis had severe flooding in 1995 and 1999 and every winter it is something that we worry about.”

Cllr O’Bearra said that Ennis had already made the same mistakes as New Or- leans in allowing housing be built on flood-plains.

He said, “New Orleans didn’t have the proper flood

defences in place, so it is 1im- portant that the government ensures that there is adequate protection for Ennis”.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that the delay in putting in place the defences was “unacceptable”’.

He said, “As a resident of Mill Road at the time of the 1995 and 1999 floods, we were told on both occasions that the council would be treating the issue with urgen- cy, yet we are now 10 years on and no relief system has been put in place.”

Cllr Flynn claimed that the “unacceptable delay at cen- tres such as Clonmel, Kil- kenny and Carlow receiving flood defence works is more evidence of the lack of prior- ity that the Fianna Fail-PD Government is giving to En- TN

He said: “At the moment, what is going on is only a pa- per exercise and I will only believe that work will com-

mence on the flood defences when I see a contractor on site. Of course, the delays in commencing the scheme has resulted in the cost of it dra- matically increasing.”

In a report to councillors on the issue from the council’s executive, they were told that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and planning documents were substantially completed.

The report states, “It is envisaged at this stage that

exhibition — the planning process used by the Office of Public Works — will com-

mence on October 3 next. The project will be on exhibition in the Council’s headquarters for a period of four weeks to facilitate members of the public who wish to make sub- missions. All going well, the target remains to be in a posi- tion to commence construc- tion work some time during the third quarter of 2006.”

house _ballycasey smithstown area. Suit four per- sons sharing, couple, ofch, close to all amenities. Contact 086-3003009

IFA National Livestock Committee Chairman John Bryan said factories are having to pay €2.52/kg for beef.

“Tighter supplies and an increase in demand means €2.52/kg has been paid by all the main factory outlets this week.”

Mr. Bryan said most factories are quot- ing €2.46/kg for R grades and €2.35/kg for O grades. However, they are having to pay €2.52/kg to get supplies.

The IFA livestock leader said heavy continental steers along with beef heif- ers are extremely scarce with prices of

up to €2.30/kg paid to secure supplies.

‘Following the recent visit to Egypt by the Department of Agriculture and Bord Bia, the stage 1s now set for an immed1- ate resumption of the beef trade. Posi- tive changes to the age limit, testing and veterinary inspections, opens the way for a resumption of trade. It is essen- tial the factories proceed immediately as Ramadan commences early this year on October 4th” he said.

According to the IFA livestock leader the EU market for beef has also im- proved as the end of the holiday season approaches. “Beef prices in the UK have stabilised and prices in all the ma-

jor markets across Europe are up, with most well above the €3.00/kg mark for prime cattle,’ he added.

In France, R3 grade steers are mak- ing €3.41/kg incl. VAT, R3 bulls are making €3.11/kg and R3 heifers are at €3.60/kg.

In Italy, R3 bulls are making €3.43/kg and heifers are at €3.85/kg. Young bulls in Germany are making €3.06/kg. In Spain, R3 bulls are making €3.06/kg and heifers are making €3.16/kg.

Mr. Bryan said the market for cow beef has also improved with prices of €2.10/kg to €2.24/kg being paid.

AA Ireland has rolled out a new state-of- the art technology across its patrol force to assist with diagnosing car faults even quicker at the roadside for its 270,000 members.

With a total of 110,000 breakdowns to attend to per year, the technology should further improve AA Ireland’s 80 per cent roadside repair rate and reinforce its ‘Go- not-Tow’ policy.

The €75 million investment by the AA in the UK and Ireland means that AA Ire- land’s patrols will be kitted out with diag- nostic equipment in specially re-enforced

laptops.

Designed by the AA, the VIXEN (Ve- hicle Inspection crossed with Electronic Notebook) notebook enables patrols to diagnose vehicle faults quicker at the roadside.

The system uses CRYPTON vehicle service information combined with a knowledge database of experience learned in the field by AA patrols, allowing AA staff to collate and share knowledge.

“VIXEN represents years of research and development for the AA,” explains public affairs manager Conor Faughnan.

“This major investment is a revolution-

ary step in the diagnosis of automotive faults and is the greatest single leap in patrol communications since the adop- tion of the two-way radio in the 1940s. It is, quite simply, the future of roadside assistance.”

As technology has advanced cars are now increasingly reliant on computerised ‘brains’ — the Electronic Control Module or ECU — to regulate their ignition, trans- mission, anti-lock brakes and other vital systems.

A plug-in device allows the AA Patrol to interrogate this electronic ‘brain’ to discover what the problem is using the VIXEN system.

FARM ADVISORY

HOUSEHOLDERS in Newmarket- on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge have accused Eircom of failing to deliver on its promise to provide broadband in the area.

In correspondence with Clare County Council earlier this year, E1r- com confirmed that both areas would be digitally enabled between April and June. It would mean that broad- band should be available in these areas within a three-and-a-half kilo- metre radius of the local exchange, at

a cost of €39.99 every month, along with an installation fee of €199 plus VAT.

However, local Councillor Pat Mc- Mahon says this promise has not been delivered upon.

‘I have made enquiries and while Eircom said they would send out a technician, this does not appear to have been the case. A lot of houses are still waiting for broadband. Sec- ond and third level students need broadband a lot and have been wait- ing for too long,” said Cllr McMa- tee

He pointed out that some people living in the Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge areas are consid- ering changing to other service pro- viders, given their concern over the broadband issue.

“Broadband is all over the world at this stage. It is a basic necessity, yet hundreds of houses in our area are without it,” said Cllr McMahon.

However, a spokesman for Eircom disputes this and says local concerns are being catered for, with issues ad- dressed within ten working days. He

said an exchange did come on line in these areas at the end of July and the lines have been upgraded.

“Technicians do not necessarily have to go to a customer’s house to enable broadband. It is important to note that a number of factors have to be taken into account. For example, if a telephone line is a carrier line, it may prevent a customer from getting broadband,” said spokesman Paul Bradley.

“It is not guaranteed to put an ex- change in place which would cater for everybody. Broadband is availa-

ble within a three-and-a-half kilome- tre radius of an exchange.” he added.

He has advice for customers who have concerns. “Each person should get on to us individually with their OKs (up sltvesl alone

Eircom says a national programme for the roll-out of broadband serv- ices has been ongoing for a number of years, with responsibility lying within the remit of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

A FARMER who bulldozed more than 6,000 mature trees, some of them in a her- itage area, has been fined €10,000 and ordered to re- plant the woodland.

Judge Joseph Mangan 1m- posed the fine after hearing that the farmer sold — for €5,000 — the wood he chopped down at Cullane House, between Quin and Tulla.

In a landmark decision, Judge Mangan said he would give Cormac Quigley, of Bohegar in Brittas, County Limerick, two months to pay the money. Quigley pleaded guilty to the charge of felling the trees without a licence.

The court heard that the prosecution was taken by the Minister for Agriculture after Forest Service Inspec-

tor John Flanagan acted on a complaint that mature broadleaf trees were being cut down.

“T estimate that 6,375 trees were removed. The average age of the trees was 50 years and some were in a National Heritage area,’ the Inspector said.

In mitigation, Quigley told the court that he cut the trees because there was an ongo- ing problem with vandalism in that area of the wood- land.

“There were constantly drinking parties and stolen cars been driven around. I took some of the smaller trees out, so that thuggery would have no place to hide,” he said.

Local garda Vincent Walsh gave evidence of an “ongo- ing problem with joyriding in that area for the last five or

six years’. The problem had stopped since the farmer cut down the trees, but he added that he believed that the fact that Quigley had “put locked gates on the property, was probably the main _ deter- Ks) 0d

Asked whether he knew that he was supposed to have a licence to fell the trees, Quigley said that he did know, but did not know at the time.

When Judge Mangan asked what happened to the chopped trees, Quigley said he sold the wood for €5,000.

Prosecuting, State Solici- tor Martin Linnane said that the law “gives the Minister power to order the defend- ant to replant the trees and it is the Minister’s intention to make such an order in this or one

PLANS for a “vital” new road to alleviate Ennis’s traffic congestion have hit a snag, over environ- mentalists’ concerns about a lake on the outskirts of the town.

Concerns expressed by An Taisce over the im- pact a new inner relief road will have on Lough Girroga has led An Bord Pleanala to demand that Clare County Council formally submit an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the scheme.

County Engineer, Tom Carey this week de- scribed the road “as a vital piece of infrastruc- ture” that will serve the €120 million Informa- tion Age Park.

The EIS process is expected to take four months and Mr Carey confirmed that it will now be next year before construction on the road commences.

A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the scheme was approved after no objections were ROCA COR

However, in a submission to An Bord Pleanala, An Taisce stated that the primary heritage impact posed by the development was its proximity to a turlough Lough Girroga, which 1s part of Ballyal- lia Lake, a candidate Special Area of Conserva- tion, which is also a Special Protection Area for Birds and Wildlife.

The site is a habitat for a range of species and significant numbers of Hooper swan and An Taisce state that “the location of such a signifi- cant ecological site, in such close proximity to the built up area of Ennis is unusual and needs care- ful protection”.

An Taisce goes on: “At the same time, the area, if properly managed, could be an enormous re- source for nature conservation, appreciation and education.

‘There is an onus on the applicants to demon- Strate that there will be no adverse impacts on the SPA/SAC and the construction and use of the road during surface run off, will be properly con- trolled and managed.

On the impact the proposed road will have on St Joseph’s Well, An Taisce argue that the existing Holy Well depends for its maintenance on exist- ing hydrological conditions.

An Taisce state that “information should be sought to ensure that the drainage impact from the road will not affect the levels of the water source or supply to the well”.

In response to the submission, the Board In- spector said that the proposed development, hav- ing regard to its nature and size, would be likely to have significant effects on the environment. This was upheld by the Board.

FIRE BRIGADE personnel in Ennis have refused to operate a new €600,000 piece of essential fire-fighting vehicle, in an ongoing row with Clare County Council over its con- tinued refusal to pay bench-marking entitle- ments.

Fire-fighters at the county’s busiest sta- tion have refused to participate in a training course, which they are required to attend be- fore they can operate the new vehicle.

As aresult, the new Bronto Hydraulic Plat- form sits idle in a shed at the council’s ma- chinery yard at the rear of Ennis fire station, and is likely to do so for a while.

It has also emerged that Ennis Fire Serv- ice’s existing hydraulic platform is not capa- ble of extending to the top floors or roofs of some of the town’s tallest buildings. The new custom-built HP or cherry picker, which ar- rived in Ennis last week, has more than twice the reach of the existing appliance and for the first time will enable Ennis Fire Brigade reach the uppermost levels of several build- ings on the Mill Road in particular.

“As it stands, if there was a major blaze in one of those apartment buildings, we would have no way of evacuating people from the top floor, unless they could get down a level or two first. If anyone was trapped on the top floor, we would have a serious problem get- ting to them,’ according to fire-fighters.

“We will not set foot inside the new appli- ance until we have received our benchmark- ing. Every other employee in the Town Coun- cil and County Council has received theirs, so why should we be any different.

“We are the only station in the county with an agreement with management and they still won’t pay up. We are the only fire service in the country, which has not yet received bench marking payments, every other county has,” said one frustrated fire-fighter.

A council spokesperson said that the concil had “not been formally notified of fire-fight- ers refusal to operate any equipment .. . Fur- thermore, all employees are required under successive national agreements, to comply with modernisation and technology and we anticipate their full cooperation in this mat-

ye]

ter’.

available for hard work. Everyday Labourer, Painter, Gardener or Farm worker. Contact 086-0889847