I recently performed the official opening of Park Place Technologies in Blarney Business Park and it is truly amazing to see the amount of business now present in the park. As it stands over a thousand people currently work on the campus with plans from the companies there to double that in the coming year. To support those people who work there I am actively pursuing both the railway station for Blarney which is strategically located next to the business park and more bus stops for the entrance and close to the entrance for those working there. Hopefully we will see movement on these in the next months and years.
I hope some of you got to see the IMART mixed ability rugby in Musgrave Park. It as a beautiful thing to see people of all abilities play together and all done purely for the love of sport. I was delighted to attend the finals where Sundays Well Rebels played an outstanding game. To this end and to celebrate the success of the event the Blarney Person of the Month for this month is Ray Dennehy. Well-deserved and many congratulations.
The Local Area Committee for the North West area have been meeting and sorting out some of the spending of the LAC budget. After a recent meeting 2 projects have been agreed with more to come. Traffic calming will be installed in Castleowen and the remainder of Castle Gardens will be resurfaced. There will be more decisions made over the next few weeks and I will keep people informed as this happens. This funding is available as a direct result of your LPT, without which the LAC would not have the discretionary budget to spend.
The city council have put some paths through the Inch. Wasn’t sure how I felt about it but having walked there it really works. Over the Summer I hope we see a little improvement in the area and more people using it. Remember it now belongs to us so people can walk there, and kids can play there. Saw lots of walkers, a fisherman and was able to go down by the river. Incredibly beautiful. There are funds now with council to come up with a suitable design for the Inch and I would ask that if you have ideas that you email me and I will pass them on. This area belongs to us all and as such your input into how its laid out is vital.
I know that some estates are organising clean ups and I am always happy to help these in any way I can. Whether its materials, a skip, or the collection of the bags after a clean up, Cork City Council is always willing to lend a hand where necessary.
Finally, on the subject of speeding. Of late, the biggest issue for people is drivers speeding. Killeens, Cloghroe, Tower Road, Castleclose Road and Kerrypike are all areas where people have come asking for action. In Clogheen/Kerrypike they are organising two days of action to encourage people passing through there to slow down. Once more, I am happy to help people where I can with practical support and signage if necessary to remind people of the limits. I believe we need a societal shift like that of drink driving to change peoples behaviour but it can be done.
As always please don’t hesitate to contact me if you think I can be of help.
Damian