Covid-19 leads to reimagining of Charleville Chamber
THE enforced postponement of the annual general meeting of Charleville Chamber due to the Covid-19 Pandemic has led to the present interest among the business community in reimagining the Chamber as an organisation that would adequately represent all businesses, and the local community in a much more proactive way.
This has provided an opportunity to structure a more effective institution to represent the town as we look to the future post pandemic, and what that may bring.
To this end a survey was distributed locally on behalf of the Chamber and the results have shown that there is ample scope to have a Chamber more representative of all aspects of business in the town and locality. Indications are that people are willing to get involved both on the Chamber board of directors, and in any sub-groups that may be formed to look after specific objectives concerning the town, that would be decided by the gathering.
A further open meeting has now been called for Wednesday the 22nd July at 6.15pm in the Charleville Park Hotel to ascertain the level of interest arising from the results of the survey, which will be discussed. It is also proposed that a roadmap for a new beginning for the Chamber can also be discussed at that meeting.
Following that, the annual general meeting of the Chamber will be fixed for a date in August where the incoming board of directors will be elected, as will the members of any sub-groups, which may be decided at that meeting.
There are many issues facing the town, going forward, especially with the continued threat from the ongoing pandemic, the effects of which will be with us for many years to come.
However, through times of challenge there are also opportunities, and now more than ever it is vital to have a united and coherent voice that will help businesses and community to work together to meet those challenges, to speak on behalf of the town when the occasion arises, and when dealing with State bodies and the Local Authority.
Now that assurance has been given by politicians that the motorway project is going ahead, among the issues for consideration by Charleville immediately is the route of the M20 Motorway, and more specifically the exit points to the north and south, which will bring traffic back into town from the motorway. If these are not within a reasonable distance from the town then Charleville and its businesses will be put at a severe disadvantage.
Another pressing issue for the Chamber is to ensure that Charleville will become a gigabyte town as indicated by SIRO the ESB/Vodaphone conglomerate that is installing the most up to date and fast broadband network that will be available in other towns in Cork County. SIRO also named Charleville among those that would become gigabyte towns starting in 2019 when the project was announced with much fanfare in Cork by the then Tanaiste, Simon Coveney, T.D.
Installation was to begin in April 2019 in the Meadowvale estate where the residents were informed that work was to begin as stated, but for some reason this was postponed. A query to the TLI Office based in Tralee, who were appointed by SITO to deliver the system, from this writer, elicited the reply “that Charleville would be kept in consideration after all the other towns in the county were serviced”.