There were no declarations of interest from the Members.

Roscommon Municipal District Meeting – 24^th July, 2023

Roscommon Municipal District Special Meeting – 14^th August, 2023

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Leyden

            SECONDED by Cllr. Shanagher

It was AGREED to adopt the Minutes of the Roscommon Municipal District Meeting of 24^th July, 2023

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Leyden

            SECONDED by Cllr. Shanagher

It was AGREED to adopt the Minutes of the Roscommon Municipal District Special Meeting of 14^th August, 2023

·         It was noted that the timetables are not displayed at the bus stop in Roscommon town

·         An update was requested on the proposed works at St. Paul’s National School and the proposed pedestrian crossing in Castlerea town

·         An enquiry was made regarding a future pedestrian crossing in the vicinity of Cherry House and the Stone Court in Roscommon town

·         An update was requested on the issue of cars using the bus parking spaces at Roscommon Castle and the speed of traffic using the Lough road

·         An update was requested on the proposed playground works at Loughnaneane park

Tom McDermott, Municipal District Co-ordinator responded to the issues raised –

·         Bus Éireann was contacted regarding the absence of a time table at the bus stop

·         A contractor has been lined up for St. Paul’s National School and we are waiting on final approval from the NTA before works commence.  Works should be completed before the end of this year

·         A preliminary design report for Castlerea town has been sent from the Roads Department to the TII

·         The request for a pedestrian crossing at the Jail will be looked at by the regeneration team as it was installed as part of URDF funding.  All the pedestrian crossings in Roscommon town will be reviewed

·         Extra signage was ordered for the parking area at the Castle and we will monitor the situation

·         “Slow Down” and “Children at Play” signage was also ordered for the Lough road

·         Contracts are signed for Loughnaneane playground and works will commence shortly

A discussion took place regarding the preliminary design report for Castlerea town and the members requested a copy of the report.  The following issues were raised -

·         The removal of car parking spaces in Castlerea town will not be acceptable to business owners

·         The TII may be solely focused on the flow of traffic through Castlerea and not take other factors into account

·         The Part 8 could ultimately be rejected if there is a significant loss of car parking spaces

·         There is a need for more off street parking in Castlerea town which will require funding

·         Car parking spaces cannot be lost in Castlerea town when alternative off street parking is not available

Request from Councillor Shanagher:

“That Roscommon County Council honour at the next civic reception the ladies senior foursomes team from Roscommon Golf Club who participated in the AIG All Ireland Finals and claimed the All-Ireland Senior Foursomes title for 2023”.

On the PROPOSAL of Councillor Shanagher

            SECONDED by Councillor Leyden

It was AGREED that Roscommon County Council honour at the next civic reception the ladies’ senior foursomes team from Roscommon Golf Club who participated in the AIG All Ireland Finals and claimed the All-Ireland Senior Foursomes title for 2023.

On the PROPOSAL of Councillor Shanagher

            SECONDED by Councillor Leyden

It was AGREED that Roscommon County Council honour at the next civic reception Fiona Tully, St. Coman’s Handball Club. Fiona is the Wallball Nationals Ladies Open Champion.

Cllr. Shanagher gave an update from the Roscommon Town Team:

·         No meeting took place recently but it is hoped that a meeting will be held in October

Cllr. Fitzmaurice gave an update from the Castlerea Town Team:

·         Somers Park was nominated for the Pride of Place awards and the Castlerea Town Team were very involved preparing for this

·         A few new projects are currently being worked on

·         The Castlerea festival and agricultural show was very successful and it was a great Summer overall for Castlerea town

Reply from Bus Eireann

24^th July, 2023

An e-mail from Bus Éireann was circulated and Tom McDermott read the response concerning the lack of a bus timetable at the bus stop in Roscommon town

Votes of congratulations were expressed to Aoife O’ Rourke on her recent wins and to her sister Lisa O’ Rourke on claiming gold in her comeback tournament in Poland this month.

There were no votes of sympathy.

An update was requested on the following items under AOB:

·         The progress of the works at the Walk

·         The pedestrian crossings on Circular Road and at St. Coman’s Wood school

·         The speed limits at Cloverhill

·         Repair of the surface around the swings in Somers Park playground

·         Lack of water in Castlerea over the weekend and calls to ensure that this does not happen again

·         The pedestrian crossing at the Garda Station needs fixing

Tom McDermott, Municipal District Co-ordinator responded to the issues raised:

·         The contractor will be ready to commence work on the ramps at the Walk in two to three weeks

·         We are currently looking at upgrading the pedestrian crossing on the Circular road to a push button

·         The periodic speed limit signs were to be completed by the TII at this stage but it will probably be October before the matter will be finalised

·         Repair works will be carried out on the pedestrian crossing at the Garda Station

A discussion took place concerning laneways in Castlerea town that are used by the public but are not taken in charge by Roscommon County Council.  Maintenance works cannot take place under the Local Improvement schemes or the Community Involvement schemes as they are currently not taken in charge.  These laneways in total measure 555 metres and

On the PROPOSAL of Councillor Fitzmaurice

            SECONDED by Councillor Dineen

It was AGREED that Roscommon County investigate this matter with a view to taking these laneways in charge so that necessary drainage and surfacing works can be carried out as required.

A discussion took place concerning the inadequate road markings and signage erected by the TII on the new section of the N60 at Oran.  It has not addressed the problem of excessive speed and overtaking at junctions which is making this stretch of road very dangerous. 

On the PROPOSAL of Councillor McDermott

            SECONDED by Councillor Leyden

It was AGREED that a letter be sent to the TII requesting a meeting to discuss this matter.  It was also agreed to extend an invitation to Martin Curley, Roscommon National Roads Design Office to attend the next Roscommon Municipal District Meeting to discuss this matter with the members and emphasise the seriousness of this problem.