I am delighted to see the contractor on site in Celbridge removing the chewing gum from the footpaths on the Main Street. This work is well under way and all most complete. This is a project I have been working on with the Tidy Towns for some time. It is leaving the footpaths at an excellent standard and will give a great positive impression and impact to all that visit or do their business in Celbridge. The feed back from the public, business owners and visitors is great and as one walks down the Main Street the improvement is obvious for all to see.

This will assist the Tidy Towns in their great work of keeping the town to such a high standard. I would recommend all to come and have a look at this work and see the difference that this has made to Celbridge. I want to thank K.C.C and in particular Director of Services Joe Boland for assisting me in having this project complete.

I am delighted to have been involved with and worked along side St. John of God Services and Kildare County Council in delivering the playground for the Celbridge Community in the Abbey grounds on the Clane road. The Abbey grounds are beautiful and are a wonderful asset for Celbridge to have. The people of Celbridge have been looking for some time to have the playground in the Abbey opened up again. Given the population of Celbridge it was very unsatisfactory to have only one playground. This will be an excellent facility and amenity for the people of Celbridge and the surrounding area. I hope that the Abbey grounds and playground is fully respected by all and is not damaged.

The playground will open on May 15th to the public and the hours of opening will be initially from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday and 9am to 3pm on Friday. These opening times will be reviewed and extended if everything operates smoothly. This is a fantastic announcement for Celbridge and one which can be enjoyed by many as we start the summer. It would not have been possible for me to deliver this project without the cooperation and full assistance of St. John of God Services Management and Staff, Gateway and the Parks Department of Kildare County Council.

I am delighted that the contract has been awarded which will allow works to commence immanently on the two culverts in Primrose Gate Estate in Celbridge.This work once complete will assist in alleviating flooding in the Primrose Gate Estate, Celbridge GA.A, Celbridge Tennis Club, St. Patrick’s N.S and the surrounding area. I have worked with all the different stakeholders over a long period of time to bring about these much needed works and upgrades which will assist positively. I hope once these works are complete it will reduce the risk of flooding which was experienced as recent as November 2014 in this general area.

I am also working with the different agencies etc to ensure the permanent solution is agreed and put in place to alleviate the flooding in this area. This has been an issue for a long period of time and is unfair on all the Residents, School and sports facilities that has been affected. Once this solution is agreed it will allow the Department of Education to re-submit their planning application to construct two new schools at this location which is the wishes of all the people living on this side of Celbridge. I want to thanks Kildare County Council for their assistance on this project.

I have been contacted by numerous members of the public which travel from Hazelhatch in Celbridge by train to Dublin. The concern and issue they have raised with me is in the evening their is no train leaving Dublin between 17.20 and 17.55 which services Hazelhatch. This is a very common time for people finishing work etc and it is unfair given that their is three trains passing through Hazelhatch in this time frame that none of them service Celbridge and the surrounding area.

I have made contact with Irish rail in an effort to have a solution brought about to this issue. I will be engaging positively to ensure the travelling public have an improved service. It is very important that the required and necessary services are in place if we are to attract people from their cars and onto the public transport system.

I am delighted to be working with my colleagues on the committee for Enterprise Town. Celbridge has been nominated as the town for this project which is sponsored by the Bank-Of-Ireland. Enterprise Town takes place on May 8th and 9th in the Celbridge Manor Hotel. On May 8th is the Business exhibition which gives all Celbridge Business’s an opportunity to show case. This is a great opportunity for them to promote themselves and it is important that we do all we can to support and assist Business to grow as the S.M.E is very important to our economy. On May 9th is an opportunity for all the Community Groups to be show cased. These voluntary groups carry out excellent work in our Community which at times is taken for granted. Community Groups need to be supported in every way possible.

I hope the event is a great success and enjoyed by all. I want to thank all involved and in Particular the Bank-Of-Ireland for working to make Enterprise Town in Celbridge a success.

I was delighted as Deputy Mayor of Kildare to attend the “Blue” lighting up of Castletown House in Celbridge, the house will be “Blue” for the month of April. This is done to promote awareness around autism. Many families have Children with autism and are in need of different supports and help. The group are fundraising to assist with the training of dogs which helps Children who suffer from this condition.

The dogs are a great source of comfort and support to the child. Currently they are not given any Government funding so any financial assistance or support from the public is greatly appreciated. I want to congratulate all involved and wish them well for the future. It was my pleasure to attend “Jog For A Dog” in Castletown on Sunday April 12th in aid of Autism.

It is great to see this phase of the works complete now at Donaghcumper Church. It looks really well and the feed back from the public is very positive. This work was carried out through matching funding from the Committee and a grant we received from the Council. I have started to engage with the Council to commence the process to obtain funding in order to have further works carried out on the next phase of this project.

It will be great in time to have all the restoration works complete and it will look really well as you approach Celbridge. It will also be a lovely tourist attraction. I want to congratulate the Committee for the excellent work they carry out on this project and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

I am delighted that phase two of the Eircom under-grounding is underway in Celbridge on the Main Street. Phase two will see the poles removed with the cables going under-ground from Remax to the Post Office. This will make a brilliant positive impact on the street scape of Celbridge. Phase one is already complete and I am currently working on the final phase which is from the AIB Bank to the Grotto. This is an issue in Celbridge for over 20 years and it is great to see this long over due project now under way. This is great for everyone in the Community of Celbridge. I want to acknowledge and thank the Celbridge Tidy Towns who have assisted me with this project in-conjunction with Kildare County Council and Eircom.

Once the Eircom under-grounding is fully complete I will be advancing the under-grounding of the ESB cables on the Main Street which will also see the current street lighting been replaced with decorative street lights. Exciting times ahead in Celbridge…..!!!!!