Carthy accuses Carlow IT of ‘butt dragging’ on campus
Cllr Ger Carthy accused Carlow IT and the Department of Education of ‘butt dragging’ when it comes to opening a new campus at Wexford IT at a meeting of Wexford County Council last week.
‘There appears to be butt dragging at the highest level from the third level institutes in relation to the Wexford campus,’ the Our Lady’s Island man said. ‘It’s gone beyond the time where we would have to start getting serious about this campus. Money was sanctioned. It’s an ideal site. We’re in a situation where it’s not working. It’s my belief that we have butt dragging from the institutions in relation to this. It’s far too serious an issue. We need to nail this down. I know the CEO has been working assiduously behind the scenes.’
CEO Tom Enright said: ‘I am disappointed it has taken so long to secure the 31 acre site in the town. The deposit on the site was paid last December and the sale is still not fully gone through the legals. I’m informed it’s almost there but it’s outside our control. It’s up to the institutes involved. We will certainly be keeping pressure on that this does happen very soon. If it does not we will try to intervene to ensure this does happen.’
He said as part of its capital programme, Carlow IT has included significant amounts of money for the development. Cllr George Lawlor asked if the college president Patricia Mulcahy should be invited to the chamber. ‘This is an extremely serious issue for third level education here. It should be well over the line by now.’