Child Centre committee 'dismayed but determined'

The unexpected delay in the Community Childcare Centre project has 'dismayed and disappointed' those who have worked so hard to bring it to fruition, writes Brian Byrne. But they say they are determined to see both the funding and the building at some stage.

"It is such a time-consuming and complicated process in the first place that this kind of major set-back is exhausting and has the potential to be very demoralising," says the committee's Iseult O'Donoghue. "Everyone has been so patient and supportive that it's tough to go back to the community and say 'there's been another delay but bear with us and please enter our raffle!'"

In a statement to the Diary, Iseult says she has every faith in the project committee committee and in the value of the Centre, and if there's any way to expedite things they will find it. "That may mean reaching out to the community yet again to help us put political pressure on the powers that be, but at the moment we're re-grouping and seeing what our options are," she says.

The committee only found during the week that an embargo on sanctioning of Leader funds by Environment Minister Phil Hogan had affected the Kilcullen funding, even though it had been agreed before last Christmas.

The Minister is coming under strong pressure in the Dail from all over the country over the embargo, which he said was to give his department time to review Rural Development programmes.