Sun shines on €130,000 town park revamp
IN contrast to Friday’s incessant rain the weather gave way to bright sunshine for the official opening of the children’s playground in the Town Park last Saturday.
The bitter cold did not deter the big gathering of parents and children to see Patrick O’Donovan T.D. Minister for State at the Department of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, assisted by Cllr Ian Doyle who was deputising for the chairman of Cork County Council, Cllr. Christopher O’Sullivan.
Introducing Cllr Ian Doyle, who was deputising for the County Mayor, the Cork County Council’s Director of Services for North Cork Mary Hayes said the Council was delighted that Charleville had got this upgraded children’s play facility.
Cllr Ian Doyle said that “the playground and the town park generally is hugely popular with local people who use it to a great extent and will be a huge benefit for families in Charleville and the surrounding villages for years to come.” He congratulated the contractors Browne Brothers for the manner in which they had completed the refurbishment work on the playground, and he said that further work would be done to move the entrance and provide a pedestrian access to the play area, as well as lighting and an extension to the circular walkway.
The new facility, which has been in use since July, has undergone significant improvement works as part of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme with €100,000 allocated to it through Cork County Council in 2018.
Cllr Doyle also paid tribute to the work of the late Brendan Ryan and Eamon McCarthy who had worked so diligently in the early noughties to provide Charleville with a playground in the Town Park in association with the Council and Ballyhoura Development and funding from the National Lottery.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is a key part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development. It focuses on projects which can help to enhance rural towns and villages, with a particular emphasis on stimulating economic development.
Contracts for the work which were awarded to Browne Brothers site services Ltd of Loughlee, Carrigadrohid were signed in May this year for the €130,000 upgrade which included extensive refurbishment of the existing playground as well as the installation of new play equipment along with new surfacing, enhanced accessibility, the addition of sensory equipment, seating and perimeter fencing.
Cllr Doyle introduced the Minister for State Patrick O’Donovan TD who, declaring it open, said he was delighted to be present in place of
Minister Michael Ring T.D., as he was from just over the Limerick border in Rockhill. I hope the children of the town and area get huge pleasure from using this playground, as I hope that children from the nearby Co. Limerick area will also use it. He congratulated the Council and all concerned with the park and wished everybody using the facility.
Initially this was a filed purchased in the thirties by the late Canon Burke, P.P., who left the Town Park back in the time to the people of Charleville, who appointed the local Vincent de Paul society trustees of the field. Cork County Council secured half of the land to provide a much needed by pass for the Main Street. The trustees with monies began to develop the rest of park plus also securing lands for the now pitch and putt club.
In the late 90s a community committee was formed under the name of the Charleville Special Projects committee to fundraise and secure funding to build the now replaced Playground. This committee, under the Chairmanship of Eammon McCarthy along with the late Brendan Ryan worked tirelessly to bring the playground to fruition. While they received funding from the Department of Health & Children at the time along with the National Lottery & Cork County Council, they also received tremendous financial support locally form Charleville Lion Club, Ballyhoura Development Ltd, St Joseph’s Foundations, Charleville St Vincent De Paul Society, Charleville Community Council and Charleville Chamber of Commerce as well as the from the people of the town and area who very kindly supported Draws.
The playground proved to a well-used amenity but over time the play equipment had become dilapidated and it was time for an upgrade so that local children will continue to enjoy the facility into the future.