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Roscrea Tidy Towns Update

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ROSCREA TIDY TOWNS COMMITTEE TIME FOR REFLECTION: - Autumn, 2012.

Was it a good year for all the workers who gave so much of their time so generously working in the interest of our town ?

Would you like to have seen more done to clean up, and tidy up the approach roads, streets, and back areas of our town ?

Are there sufficient floral displays on our approach roads to create a greater impact as one approaches the town to impress our visitors ?

Is signage up to the standard of a Heritage Town ? Is it impressive ? Have we a big Fáilte sign printed in gold with a Roscrea emblem on it ?

Are the approach roads mowed nice and neat with a metre verge on both sides of the road with an avenue of trees leading into the town ?

Are our Residential Areas kept up to a high standard, grass mowed, litter picked, stakes removed from trees (if there for two years they should be removed) and weeds removed from shrub and flower beds ?

Are Car Parks maintained as one would expect if privately owned ? Are stakes removed from trees, or are the stakes and ties cutting into the trees as we have seen in some of our car parks ? Is the litter picked daily or even weekly ? Are the weeds such as thistles, binder weed, dandelions etc. growing through shrubs removed from shrub beds and landscaped areas ? Are broken and dead trees removed ?

Take Aways, Publican’s premises, and Bookmakers premises – are they taking responsibility for the litter strewn outside their doors, on the footpaths, and on the streets ?

Are adjoining yards to premises kept clean, tidy and with floral displays as one would see in other towns around the country.

Tidy Towns observers would say “NO” to most of the above questions, and feel Roscrea has a long way to go to reach the standard set in towns like Ennis and Cashel (both of which are well worth a visit this year). In Ennis, all premises on the Main Streets of the town have hanging baskets, and window boxes on every premises in the street which makes for a very pleasant and attractive town. The Hanging Baskets along the streets look very impressive with trailing begonias. All side streets, and link roads plus approach roads have floral displays for miles into the town, so the impact that is missing on approaches to Roscrea, is well and truly to be seen as one approaches Ennis. Much of the same can be said for Cashel, where walls on approach roads have hanging baskets, floral displays on the green areas, and amazing colour all the way into the centre of town. Birdhill, and Tuamgraney are local villages well worth a visit also, to take note of the standard we would like Roscrea to rise to.

When can Roscrea Tidy Towns Committee hope for this kind of support and standard. All the work should not be left to a few, as it stretches too far, and there are not sufficient people coming out to help. Is there a way of motivating people to rise to the challenge in preparation for next year ?

It is time to resurrect the Residents Associations, and Street groups again, so that the residents take pride in their street or area, and take on the responsibility for cleaning, tidying, and maintenance of their estates etc. If you are active on your street, or Residential Area, or Estate, please bring a few together, and organise a group to work together in the interest of “Pride” in your town, and its people. There are so many people unemployed, and have little to do, who would benefit from being involved if they got the encouragement, and if you are one of those, please take the initiative, and commence a group, or join a group already there such as the Tidy Towns Committee.

There are parts of Roscrea that stand out, and the residents should be commended for their support and pride of place, ie, Rosemary Square, lower Limerick Street, Assumption Park, So many houses along the Main Road as one passes Kennedy Park with window boxes and hanging baskets, also Cois Carraig (great pride in this area) the Limerick road, (so many amazing gardens of colour and floral displays) Ivy Nook – as one goes from Lourdes Road towards the Dublin Road they cannot but see the amount of work put in here by the owner and the enormous display of planting done this year and which would be so eye catching if we only had the sun shining) Some nice displays on Main Street, Green Street, and Castle Street also which we admire and acknowledge. Tidy Towns workers appreciate all the support they can get, as it is impossible for them to cover all of the town from approach roads into the centre, and depend on the support and generosity of all residents and local Businesses.

Many premises have already been painted and brightened up, however we have some remaining that have been power washed for months and are still there with flaked walls. If there is something you can do to improve Roscrea’s mark in “overall appearance”, or the “Built Environment” please have it done in the next two weeks, before the second adjudication takes place (if we are lucky enough).

If you can tidy a back entrance, yard, link road, or back street, please do it as soon as possible, remove weeds, litter, bollards, and anything you see that detracts from our mark under “Tidiness” and add a few floral displays where possible. It is never too late, and they will be there for next year.

Work for next year starts now, and Tidy Towns people are already working towards their Autumn programme, and continuing to work every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning – meeting in Rosemary Square at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, and Saturday mornings at 10 am. Members are being very vigilant where litter, posters, advertising boards, cigarette butts etc. are to be seen, and removing as much as possible when weather permits.

This year Roscrea Tidy Towns Committee acknowledge support and contributions made as follows:

The flowers and maintenance of the Hanging baskets in Main Street has kindly been sponsored by Super Valu, and their staff.

Michael Tiernan has paved the footpath from Church Street down to the plaza at Tesco, and added four new containers with trees and box hedging. Four trees have also been kindly planted by him on the green area opposite.

Pierce Finn of Maddens Pharmacy has added two lovely three tier planters at the rear of his premises as one walks from Tesco, they are very prominent, and add to the colour and attractiveness of this area.

David Leahy and Transition year students of Coláiste Phobal have created the masterpiece displayed on the wall of the outdoor toilet (up from the roundabout at Tesco) which has been made of used cans – this project has been entered for “The Cans” Award in the Tidy Towns competition, and we wish them the best of luck.

The Scouts leaders and many of their troupes to include cubs have given enormous support this year to the workers, through litter picks, planting of the river, planting a tree, and making a very generous donation from their funds towards planting of the river.

Doherty Hardware have kindly sponsored paint for F.Á.S. Employees to undertake painting of barriers, gates, doors, railings, etc. in need of painting along the approach roads and in various places around the town.

Tidy Towns people are greatly indebted to Paddy Reidy, and all his workers on the F.Á.S. Community Employment Scheme for all their support to include litter picking, strimming, painting, and going here there and everywhere to attend to problem areas, and keep the work done on the various streets and approach roads.

The Council Engineer has also been of tremendous help in removing redundant posts, and upgrading many of the broken and derelict ones. Various other projects have been done by him in the interest of tidiness, and improvements to footpaths are presently underway, but his list is endless, and we acknowledge all his support to date, and await much more.

The Lions Club sponsored tree planting on the Templemore Road much of which will need to be done again, as trees appear to have died possibly due to the dry weather at the time.

The Committee also acknowledge the generous contribution made by Roscrea Credit Union to their planting fund.

The Committee await and look forward to some work by the Art students, Aisling, Sinéad, Serena, and Jack who are willing to do murals on walls and timber work around the town when weather allows them.

The Tidy Towns Committee acknowledge and appreciate any support you have given them to date such as floral displays, printing of circulars, photocopying, replacement of gates, building of walls, cleaning of windows and doors, cleaning of car parks, removing faded strings of bunting etc. and painting your premises.

The Committee thank you for your generous support to their street collection, and will welcome donations to meet the cost of tree planting in the Autumn, improvements to the roundabouts so more all year round colour is added, the development of a “Tree Way around Roscrea”, “A River Walk”, and also a “Nature Trail”, so a busy year is planned, and the only obstacle at the moment is human and financial resources. (If you can be of any assistance please do not hesitate).

Anyone who is willing to help out will be very welcome, otherwise we would ask you to make a contribution to Tidy Towns Funds, so their Work Programme can be progressed and members continue to work in the interest of a “More Beautiful and attractive Roscrea”.

Last but not least a “BIG THANK YOU” to Jo. Jo, and Barney who do the street cleaning for all of us at the weekends, and who arise early, while many of us are not long in our beds. They are up and out on the streets collecting the cigarette butts, and the litter which should be put in the bins provided, and the receptacles, and if so we would have no need for cleaning. How do we rise to this challenge ? - Provide smoking areas at the rear of Publicans premises so they are not smoking on the footpath, or outside the front door.

Roscrea Tidy Towns Update You are in · RoscreaOnline · Community · Features

ROSCREA TIDY TOWNS COMMITTEE TIME FOR REFLECTION: - Autumn, 2012.

Roscrea Tidy Towns Update

You are in · RoscreaOnline · Community · Features