North Kildare Councillor Frank O Rourke met with Senior Management of Irish Rail again this week to press for additional services for the Hazelhatch Rail commuters.

‘In recent months, I have put pressure on Irish Rail to improve the level of service for Hazelhatch rail commuters. In particular we need additional services leaving Dublin to service Hazelhatch between the time of 5.20pm and 5.55pm in the evening. This is a critical time for many Celbridge commuters who leave work in Dublin around 5.00pm. There is no excuse for such a gap to be left in the timetable, between the times of 5.20pm and 5.55pm.’

‘Since getting elected to the Council, I have made continuous representations to have the rail service improved. We have made progress. This week, I again left the Senior Management of Irish Rail in no doubt about the necessity to fill this gap in service in the evenings. I am confident that the management will resolve the issue and that the 2016 timetable will be more suitable for the Hazelhatch rail commuters.’

‘We need to continue to grow the numbers using the rail service. We will only do this by having a regular and reliable service. We also need a timetable that suit the many users of the service in the evening between 5pm and 6.00pm’

As a member of the CBA committee I was delighted to have been involved in launching this Shop Local Campaign. The poster slogans and designs were organised by chairperson Pat Byrne. It is very important that local business is supported at every opportunity to make sure the local economy thrives and jobs are maintained.

Local businesses give a great service and supply a great choice of products, not to mention the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. All the businesses are displaying the “Shop Local” posters in an effort to remind us all to shop local as regular as possible.

The local businesses support all the community groups as much as they can so we all need to “Keep it Local”. There is a fantastic response from the public to this campaign.

The pay parking review for Celbridge and Leixlip is underway. The drawings and maps for both towns are on display in the local libraries and in the Council offices in Naas. I am encouraging everyone to make a submission on any area of concern they have or a change they may like to have considered. I am happy to meet with anyone or group to discuss any query or concern they have.

Submissions must be sent in by July 1st. I brought forward major changes four years ago, when I got enforcement reduced from 60 hours per week to 30 hours per week for Celbridge and Leixlip. This had been the wishes of the businesses and public in both towns and I was committed to delivering it. This has worked well among other small changes that has taken place. We need to have the signs changed now and have other minor changes implemented in both towns.

This is a great opportunity to fine tune a pay parking policy that is now reflective of the people that use it. Please contact me on any pay parking issue as it maybe four years before their is another review.

I attended the Sharing Skills Art Exhibition in May. This event was in the Ballymakealy Community Hall. There was an excellent display of modern and creative Art. Each piece was to the highest of standards and very unique in its own right. The exhibition was amazing to view and the level of detail was first class, it promoted everyone’s talent and skill set.

I work closely with this group and I am happy to support and promote their excellent work. All in involved in this Community Group is to be highly complimented and wished every success in the future.

Well Done to All…..!!!!

It was a fantastic day on Friday May 15th when the playground in the Celbridge Abbey Grounds re-opened to the public. Entrance to the playground is free and it is great to see Celbridge now having a playground on each side of the town at last. I have called into the playground on a number of occasions since it opened and it is fantastic to see all the families there enjoying this great facility. On speaking with the parents you realise how much this playground means to the Community.

It is great to see this continued investment in Celbridge which is long overdue. All this would not have been possible for me to deliver without the complete cooperation of St. John of God Services and we thank them so much for this brilliant facility in Celbridge. Thanks also to Kildare County Council for their assistance in delivering this project for the people of Celbridge and the surrounding area.

On the 9th May, Garda Inspector Paul Dolan officially launched Business Watch in Celbridge. The launch took place in the Celbridge Manor Hotel at “Enterprise Town”. This is an excellent initiative by the Garda in an effort to assist Business’s with crime prevention and who have been a victim of crime. The Business Watch committee will consist of the C.B.A committee members and will meet with liaising officer Garda Paul Carney every three months approx to discuss issues of concern and to receive updates.

We have currently seventy Business’s which are members and signed up to this initiative. Paul Carney has already met and engaged with a lot of the Business’s and the feed back from Business owners is positive. They now have a direct contact if they have a problem or concern. We need to work together to prevent crime and help make it safer for all in our Community.

Celbridge Enterprise Town which was sponsored by the Bank Of Ireland was a great success. This event was held on the 8th and 9th May in the Celbridge Manor Hotel. I was delighted to have been involved and on the organising committee. On the 8th we had over 90 local business’s displaying together with a number of speakers and a tourism panel.

On the 9th it was Community day with over 50 local voluntary groups displaying and promoting their brilliant work, there was a sports panel which dealt with a number of topics and was enjoyed by all.

This was an event that showcased all that is great in Celbridge. I want to thank all involved for making this occasion the success it was.