Agenda item

Report attached herewith. Bernie Roe/Derek Farrell

Order:  Noted.  The members thanked Area Management & staff for the report & commended them for their hard work & responsiveness to the North Central Committee.

However, Cllr. O’Farrell was critical of central departments & the lack of timely information being conveyed, specifically from the Parks Department, in relation to the forthcoming concerts in Fairview Park.  He is keen that this lack of communication is addressed forthwith. Cllr. O’Muirí echoed Cllr. O’Farrell’s sentiments & was unhappy that the briefing he requested on the Fairview Park concerts was not accommodated.  He wants more engagement & communication with the members in this regard from central departments, so that councillors can be more adequately equipped to support the council fully & bring the members collective inputs to bear on the promotion of positive council initiatives in the public arena.  Manager Bernie Roe said that she will engage with central departments to effect improvements in this regard. 

In relation to consultation with residents for Fairview Park, Fergus O’Carroll said that to his knowledge, the residents were met with last week, with a positive outcome.  Councillors collectively agreed that this level of engagement, at a late stage, is inadequate.  Chairperson Cllr Roe suggested that the NCAC write to the Parks Events Management Department & the head of Parks, conveying their dissatisfaction with the process.  Fergus O’Carroll explained that the Parks Events Section had agreed an information leaflet/map & details of the concerts & areas where these were to be delivered to.  Regrettably, MCD’s contractors did not meet their contractual obligations & failed to deliver the majority of the leaflets.  Members stated that it is not good enough to leave communications to MCD concert managers.  Cllr. Stocker suggested that in future, the An Post postal service be commissioned to deliver leaflets, instead of private contractors.  Director of Services Derek Kelly will address all of these issues with the Head of Parks.

Cllr. Cooney asked if there would be complimentary tickets for residents/media for the concerts in Fairview Park. 

She also raised the issue of staffing in the area office once again & would like an updated list of staff contacts.   She further stated that she was concerned about the lack of consultation in relation to decisions taken.  Specifically she referenced the request for toilets in the area which were sought after for several years, with the expectation that they would be delivered, only to be told in a report that they wouldn’t be, without any consultation. 

Cllr. Lyons requested a comparison exercise to be carried out between staffing levels from 2014 to current levels to contextualise the provision of staff in the area.  He also welcomed the IOG report & commended council staff for their dedication to this project in Darndale.

Director of Services Derek Kelly and local area manager Bernie Roe both stated that they were working hard with HR to address the staffing issues in the North Central Area.  

Cllr. MacDonncha raised the issue of a persistent dumping problem on the Grange Park side of Kilbarrack Dart Station, which defaces the area.  He is concerned that the Public Domain team might be more focussed on encouraging community clean-ups, rather than tackling dumping issues & would like to see this imbalance addressed. Manager Bernie Roe stated that this site is very much on her radar and that she will circulate some ideas that she has been exploring with our new Acting Environmental Liaison Officer, Ms. Joanne O’Sullivan in this regard.

Cllr. Heney highly commended Joanne O’Sullivan, Sheila Duffy & all involved in the Old Raheny Church & Graveyard Project.  She thanked PDO Richard Cleary for his prompt responses to any public domain issues that she may have.  She is also anxious for the Clontarf Flood Defences to get up and running again.

Cllr. Stocker queried how the new foam cleansing spray is working in lieu of weed killer & would also like to know how the determination is made as to which areas avail of the spray.  A number of areas that she requested were not included on the lists provided.  Is there an order of priority or how is it decided?

Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland looked for an update on the permanency & appropriateness of the men’s sheds accommodation in Priorswood.  Derek Farrell stated that they are currently housed in the Boxing Club on Glin Road but he will follow up on whether or not this will be permanent.

She also raised the issue of road resurfacing specifically in relation to the works scheduled for the northern end of the carriageway in Santry & was concerned about the cost & waste of repeatedly digging up our roads in what appears to be an uncoordinated manner.

Derek Farrell/Kelly to follow up with Roads Maintenance in relation to the procedure for road resurfacing vis-à-vis the co-ordination of contractors in order to minimise both the disruption & cost of repeatedly digging up our roads within very short time frames.

Finally, Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland requested that the funds for the coffee shop/toilet that was planned for Clontarf but quashed, be redirected to Ellenfield Park.  Derek Farrell stated that there is some funding for Ellenfield but it is unlikely it will stretch to toilet provision.  The Clontarf proposal was a pilot scheme and it may not be possible to divert this particular funding, but he will look into same.