'Roll up sleeves' on Plan, Kilcullen urged
Julie O'Donoghue, Clodagh Kavanagh, Kieran Forde, Orla O'Neill and Martin Heydon TD at the official launch of 'Kilcullen 2017' in Kilcullen Library.
People of Kilcullen must 'roll up their sleeves' and get stuck in to making sure the 'Kilcullen 2017'—A Community Plan for Development' is implemented, writes Brian Byrne.
That was emphasised by Martin Heydon TD, who launched the plan officially in Kilcullen Library yesterday. He described it as 'a real working document' with clear and discernible actions to achieve proper goals.
Complimenting Kilcullen Community Action, and all those involved in the Community Survey from which the Plan was evolved, Deputy Heydon said it wouldn't be worth anything if it was allowed to sit on a shelf.
And he said that a wider base of people in the community needed to get involved in moving forward the different elements of the Plan.
Key among these is the provision of a Primary Care Centre for the town, though he noted that current plans involved a public-private partnership scheme, and it was unclear when that might happen. "It is going to take a lot of work from this community to keep on the case with the HSE," Deputy Heydon added.
He believed the plans to link with Kildare Failte to explore tourism potential was a really good idea, and he suggested that the highly successful River Festival might find a way to work with 'The Gathering' plan for 2013.
The provision of the planned Community Childcare and Family Resource Centre would do much to enhance the lives of many of the younger and newer residents in the town, he said.
On the identified need for more Garda cover, he said that while local representives will fight for more resources, there were opportunities for the public to take a more active role in helping to keep the town safe. These include the piloted Emergency Response Initiative where the public aid the Garda in their role by reporting unusual or suspicious activity in a structured communication system. He noted the positive comments about the Garda members in the town, who operate in a very pro-active community manner.
Deputy Heydon said there is much in the report which should make people proud of Kilcullen. This includes a high level of community spirit and the large number of voluntary-run clubs and organisations in the town. The sense of pride in belonging for many residents, including those new to Kilcullen, was something which is often referred to in other towns and communities around the area.
"There can be no greater compliment to a town which has seen a 53 percent increase in population over ten years, that more than nine in ten feel they have made the right choice in living here," he said.
Deputy Heydon said KCA has done much for the town, and is a perfect example of what can happen when a few concerned active citizens get together with a common purpose. But too often the workload falls on too few, and it is now time to broaden the group, he suggested.
"We need to leverage on their experience and bring in new skills where necessary. It should be a very exciting time for people in the community who haven't been involved up to now. Take on a small role, nothing that's going to be a major burden. Roll up your sleeves, and become a part of a fantastic community if you're not part of it already. I'm happy to be part of this working group and I look forward to working with you over the coming months to implement what is in the Plan."
Also present at the event were local councillors Mark Wall and Ivan Keatley, Brian Kelly from the Kildare Leader Partnership which grant aided the study, and Siobhan Murphy and Anne Kearney from the HSE.
KCA chairman Kieran Forde thanked all who had been involved with the Survey and the Plan, which can be accessed in hard copy form in the Library, and is available for download here.
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