MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
MOTION NO.3
MOTION: Councillor L. O’Toole
This committee requests that CE provides a detailed report regarding cleansing protocol of culverts along the Griffeen park and shores along the streets of Lucan village. How often are these cleansed & cleared of debris. With the high volume of rain lately the shores in Lucan village are regularly cleared out by local businesspeople. The committee seeks to have commitment from council that the necessary additional clearing of shores in the village are carried out by the council.
REPORT:
The road gullies in Lucan Village are cleaned on a scheduled basis by the contractor who provides the road sweeping service across the county, Oxigen Environmental Ltd. The service is provided on a yearly basis to the majority of the 45,000 road gullies in the county, with a percentage of these serviced twice or four times yearly as required. The gullies in Lucan Village are on the increased frequency of service with those gullies in the Village Green area and those on the main street between Village Green and the Liffey Bridge serviced four times per year. Gullies in all other locations in Lucan Village are serviced twice per year. The service provided includes the cleaning and testing of all gullies, where a gulley is cleaned but found not to be functioning the pipe connecting the gulley to the main drain is cleaned by the contractor and the gulley is then re-tested. If it is still not functioning the matter is referred to the Roads Dept to examine the condition of the main drain. As well as cleaning of gulley chambers it should be noted that the street cleaning and road sweeping which is carried out by both Public Realm staff and the road sweeping contractor should ensure that there is no build up of debris on the surface of the gulley which would interfere with it’s proper functioning. The leaf sweeping and removal service which is also provided by the road sweeping contractor and which operates during the period September 1st to January 31st also involves the removal of leaves from gullies in the village when requested.

The surface water channels in Griffeen Valley Park are monitored and inspected on a continuous basis with action taken as required to remove potential blockages to those channels. Particular attention is paid to any culverted crossings underneath paths and roads as these are most likely to become blocked. In advance of any forecasted storms or heavy rain these locations are inspected and potential blockages removed. It should be noted that certain locations within our public parks have been identified as attenuation areas and flooding will occur at such locations in certain circumstances, in order to prevent flooding at other more sensitive locations such as residential developments.

My involvement in the establishment of Griffeen Junior parkrun has been a fulfilling experience. As a local councillor for the Lucan area, I initiated a motion seeking support from South Dublin County Council to endorse this new, free amenity. Once the support was secured, I collaborated with the Event Director and facilitated the first meeting of interested volunteers at a local hotel.

There was a strong enthusiasm to kick-start the initiative, and since then, I have been actively engaged with the group as a regular volunteer. I’ve also taken on the role of Run Director on several occasions. Additionally, my daughter Cora has been a valuable contributor, stepping in as Run Director for both Griffeen parkrun and Griffeen Junior parkrun.

The journey of supporting and participating in Griffeen Junior parkrun has been immensely rewarding, and I look forward to supporting it in the future.

I initiated a Women’s Safety Event held at the Adamstown Youth & Community Centre.

As we entered the winter months, bringing darker mornings and evenings, and being an avid runner and walker, as well as a part of a running group, I recognized the need to unite women through a ‘safety talk for women running and walking during the dark periods.’ With the support of our local Gardaí, the community centre, and a guest speaker from a local Taekwondo club, we organized our first safety talk.

The event was well-attended by women in our area, who received a presentation from local community Gardaí Ann and Doangh, offering helpful slides and videos on the importance of being well-lit. Leigh Ann, a 4th Degree Black Belt from Grandmaster Douglas Taekwondo Schools, provided an informative talk on self-defence. The collaboration of everyone involved, including Gemma, the manager of Adamstown Youth and Community Centre, made this event possible.

The positive response to the event has led to requests for further talks, especially one tailored for teenagers. The success of this initiative highlights the importance of community collaboration in addressing safety concerns.

The ball wall and extended Teenage space at Griffeen Park came about as part of the 300K Have Your Say public vote. I attended all the workshops leading up to the voting period and proposed the idea of the ball ball. I was delighted to see it selected as one of the winning projects, which was awarded 100K towards its realization. It is truly gratifying to witness the success of the Teen Ball Wall project in Griffeen park. This outdoor ball wall and associated facilities is the first of its kind in our county, allowing members of the public to have access to a sports  ball wall.

Since my election in 2014, I have dedicated my time to implementing teen facilities, and the results have been remarkable. From the introduction of the ball wall to additional equipment such as mini basketball courts, outdoor goal posts, calisthenics, seating, benches, swings, and even a wind-up speaker for music, our efforts have significantly improved the recreational experience for teenagers in the community.

The upcoming addition of more facilities, including the first coffee dock with toilet facilities, is poised to further transform the area into what is becoming known as the Griffeen Sports Hub. I have also submitted a motion recently for the provision of outdoor chess boards and seating. I thoroughly enjoy contributing to the creation of vibrant and engaging recreational spaces for teenagers in our community! Since the inception of planning Teen Spaces in our parks, I am delighted that my requests to allocate funds specifically for ‘teenagers’ in our annual budget have been successful. Initially set at 500K, this budget has now been increased to 650K for the 2024 budget.