Playground back on track

The concerns and apparent impasse over the proposed Community Playground for Kilcullen have been solved after a meeting last Monday in Kildare County Council between officials, councillors, the Playground Committee and Fr Paddy Ryan from Kilcullen.

The Committee came away with a commitment that the 200,000 euros reserved for the project will be spent on the preferred site near the Community Centre.

In addition Cllrs Billy Hillis and Mary Glennon have promised their total Discretionary Grants will be allocated to the infrastructural costs in creating an access to the facility from the link road that runs parallel to the existing entrance road to the Centre. This private road will revert back to Scoil Bhride NS in return for a portion of its land for the playground.

The Playground Committee has offered to raise local funding if necessary to help meet the Council's costs in providing the new entrance to the Community Centre car park.

The breakthrough meeting was organised by Cllrs Willie Callaghan and JJ Power following last week's public meeting in Kilcullen, where they had heard about concerns that the funding for the playground might be reallocated in favour of a private developer's playground proposal in a more remote part of the town.

After Monday's meeting, Cllr Billy Hillis said 'at last, hopefully it has been sorted'. "The goalposts were changed a number of times over the period, but now everybody knows where it's going."

Cllr Willie Callaghan said it had been a 'very positive meeting'. "There's a fair bit of work to be done still, and letters have to be exchanged about the funding and the land transfer from the Diocese. But it is back on track, and we'll see light at the end of the tunnel sooner or later."

Brian Byrne.