Building pride of place in Cootehill
The old adage “God helps those who help themselves” could be the underlying principal of county council support for community projects. Local authority funding is dispensed on the principal that if a community group are active and engaged they will be supported.
Cootehill Town Team is a good case study for this belief. Citizens of the east Cavan town will notice a number of improvements to the streetscape of the area.
Under the auspices of the Cootehill Town Team’s Accessibility Committee, the ‘Accessibility for All’ initiative has used funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme to bring about real improvements.
“The work done under that scheme was specifically around footpaths, crossings and the overall streetscape,” Bridget Boyle of the Accessibility Committee told the Celt at a meeting in the Cootehill library.
This gathering brings together Bridget and fellow Accessibility Committee members Kerry Mullen, Cllr Carmel Brady and Mary Brigid Duffy. The briefest of discussions shows this is a group with a clear set of goals. The volunteers aim improve the area of Cootehill, encourage goodwill and foster community spirit and civic pride.
The committee usually meet once every month, while the working group can meet once a week to carry out work around the town.
“We have been working on making the crossings, junctions, and footpaths more accessible for all,” Kerry says of the latest developments. There is a real sense of organisation about the group.
Much of the focus of the spending under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme allocation comes from recommendation from residents. Generally when local authority put out questionnaires on what improvements are needed in a town, there’s a limited response.
Walkability study
The Accessibility Committee took action on this by conducting a “walkability study” in 2018, soliciting opinion from the Holy Family School and Drumlin House training centre to identify areas of need.
“For any work the council are undertaking, we are providing evidence of why it’s needed,” Kerry emphasised the importance of being inclusive in the assessment.
“It’s a direct result of the walkability study that we got the funding for the work now taking place. We did it on a consultative way. As well as Holy Family School and Drumlin House, we had representative of the elderly, mothers with buggies, visually impaired and pupils from the local school’s deaf unit who participated.”
“It’s a collaborative approach, it is about consultation,” Bridget adds. “If you don’t ask the end user, then it won’t work. It’s the people who are impacted who can tell what is accessible. This ensures it’s cost effective, because the money isn’t wasted.”
Painting
Another town improvement in Cootehill is the dash of colour from council support for facade painting. This saw 21 buildings and five gables freshen up their look. “People commented on the facelift the town received. Some of the businesses in town did their own work, so that the council funding could be spent on buildings that were lying idle,” Cllr Carmel Brady said.
Kerry told how the council funding has a wider benefit: “The community can see that there’s payback for their input. They can see the physical return for expressing their opinion. It encourages them, builds the confidence of the community, and promotes further engagement.”
Cllr Brady says the work put in by the Town Team sub committee is acknowledged at executive level in the local authority: “Director of Service Brendan Jennings has mentioned the accessibility study in council meetings. The document is on the council’s website. They really took it on.”
While the Town Team say there are still more improvements to be made, they praised everyone involved for their hard work in making such a good start, while emphasising the need for wider engagement.
“We hope to progress various routes,” Kerry tells. “We intend to do another mobility study in a different direction. This will take more notice for space for cycle ways, because it’s the main route to the comprehensive school and two national schools.”
Not content to rest on their laurels, Bridget says other plans are in the pipeline: “The playground is something we are working on at the moment. We work in conjunction with Cavan County Council on that.”
The wider Town Team hope more people will get involved.
“That’s always our aim. We always welcome new members, and anyone interested in coming on board, can contact directly or through the Town Team Facebook page. Participation is open to all age groups,” Mary Brigid says.
Bridget concluded by saying changes to the vista of the town are a real reward: “It’s about encouraging people, not just the people on the Town Team, but the people of the town in general. It’s about pride of place.”
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