Writes Ciaran Dineen
Carrigaline Municipal District (MD) county councillors have made an early agreement on their annual Town Development Fund (TDF) budget, with the proposed allocation to date hitting €104,000.
Over the course of 2021, the Carrigaline MD have a total of €120,000 to play with in the TDF, but already a considerable portion of that has been agreed for a variety of projects for the remainder of the year.
Much of what makes up the current spend of €104,000 has been agreed for a number of weeks, but two new allocations were included in March’s meeting of the MD before a formal approval was passed. This included provision of €4,000 to be used for a deep-clean of a core centre in Ringaskiddy and €5,000 awarded to the Owenabue Arts Collective, to be used for a series of plans and projects that the group hope to hold throughout the year.
Councillors were pleased to see both additions, with the inclusion of Ringaskiddy to the deep-clean list for town centres in the area particularly noteworthy given its omission from the planned power-washing in an earlier proposed TDF. It is likely that the clean will be done sometime in early-mid summer, with Ringaskiddy joining Carrigaline, Crosshaven and Passage West on the list of towns that will receive the clean.
In terms of seasonal festivities, with St Patrick’s Day parades cancelled once again this year, funding has been reallocated to more general seasonal events which could take place later in the calendar subject to public health advice. €5,500 has been set aside for Carrigaline, €3,500 in Crosshaven and €1,000 in Passage West. Discussions may begin on when and how festivals could take place later in the year once restrictions begin to be lifted.