http://www.communityvoice.ie/pages/CV137/CV137n03.htm
Tyrrelstown residents unite for schools
One of the biggest public meetings in the area in recent times attracted a large crowd to the Park Plaza Hotel. Representatives of all political parties and candidates for the local election were in attendance (with the exception of Fianna Fáil) to hear members of the Tyrrelstown community express their frustration at the delay in providing much needed facilities in their area.
Addressing the meeting Adam Fitzsimons, chairperson of the Tyrrelstown Residents Association, pointed out that it was just over a year ago that a report was commissioned on the needs of the Tyrrelstown community. “Some of the issues raised in this report have been sorted but the three biggest needs have not yet been addressed. These were the provision of school sites, lack of community facilities and the provision of green space,” he said.
According to Adam, “the report also indicated that in the 2006 census 15% of the population of Tyrrelstown was under the age of 4. We have a birth rate of 18 - 20 children a month in the area so that means that since the last census there are 600 more children under the age of 3 in the area. This is now starting to impact on the schools.”
Maurice Hurley, principal of Tyrrelstown Educate Together national school which operates out of temporary buildings on the Powerstown Road confirmed that sites for the schools have now been acquired. “The project is back on track but pressure needs to be maintained.” Thanking residents for their support he said “what’s good for the community is good for the school and vice versa. We are all in this together. Go and vote in the elections. If a community votes it will be listened to - not just this year but in the future also.”
Representing the views of Mulhuddart National School which is also in a temporary building on the adjoining site, Fr. Eugene Taaffe still has doubts about politicians’ promises. “I would love to throw up my arms and say it’s done,” he said “but I‘ve been here before when promises were made and not kept. We should all vote but we deserve our vote to be respected. Your children deserve not just the basics but the best.”
The transfer of the site to Fingal County Council was also confirmed by Rick Larkin, a director of Twinlite Developments. “My company has been developing Tyrrelstown since 2001 and we have been actively trying to build a school because a school is good for business. People will want to live here and that is good for our business,” he said.
However he went on to castigate the Department of Education who, he said “are the worst people I have ever tried to work with. Fingal County Council say that they can deliver the school so we have given them an unconditional contract for €1 for the school site. The county council have told us that when they hand over the site to the Department of Education they will get money for a community centre on the site. However I agree with Fr. Eugene that the community should be consulted,” he said.
Confirming the acquisition on behalf of the county council, Cllr. Michael O’Donovan in his capacity as Mayor of Fingal said “while there is no doubt that the school site is available, as of today no application has yet been made by the department for planning permission for the schools. However when the application does come in, it will get red carpet fast track assistance.”
By coincidence, on the day after the meeting took place a letter was received by Joan Burton TD in reply to representations she had made to the Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe about the Tyrrelstown schools. In his reply the Minister said “the further progression of the site acquisition and the proposed building project will be considered having regard to the competing demands in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for school buildings generally.”
Responding to this latest twist Cllr. O’Donovan said, “it seems to me that the Minister is saying ‘I have a certain amount of money for next year and Tyrrelstown can take its place in the queue along with everyone else.’ I wonder if that reply has been sent to many more schools in this pre-election time. It makes Brian Lenihan’s assertion that the money has been ring-fenced seem a little hollow.”
However when contacted by Community Voice, Minister Lenihan was insistent that the school would be built on time. Referring to the content of Batt O’Keeffe’s letter he said “this is just a standard Department of Education form of words that they use to reply to all such representations. I can assure everyone that this money is available and that it will be there when required to build the school.
These schools are going ahead and I am adamant that they will open for pupils in September 2010.”
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