Details of Municipal District Funding announced in 2020 report
The Activities Report of the Municipal District Operations and Rural Development for 2020 has been published. The report contains a summary of how many projects have been funded through the directorate. The Municipal Districts are responsible for services including the provision of school wardens, operation of town parking, litter control, street cleaning, burial ground and playground maintenance.
The municipal districts are also responsible for the delivery of projects funded through national funding schemes, including the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, and Clár.
The population of Fermoy MD is 36,406, with 6 elected representatives. In 2020, 34 Projects were supported under the Amenity Fund, totalling €73,450.
21 Community Groups (including Tidy Towns and Resident Associations) received funding under the Community Contracts, totalling €29,000; 8 groups received funding under the Capital Fund, totalling €80,000 while 7 groups, including Christmas lights associations, received funding under the General Municipal Allocation totalling €12,700.
In 2020, two villages secured funding under the public realm enhancement schemes, Coolagown and Rathcormac. €165,000 was allocated to Coolagown to enhance the village with pedestrian walkways and improved signage, amongst other improvements. €25,000 was allocated to Rathcormac for the Rathcormac Playground upgrade.
Improvements are to be undertaken in Mitchelstown under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund. The project will help facilitate the ongoing development of Saint George’s Arts and Heritage Centre, along with the development of interpretative signage, information points and landscaping along George Street and King Square. The development of a three hectare woodland park at the rear of Kingston College is also proposed.
SERVICES
Under the Town Development Fund of €110,000, works such as footpath repairs, accessibility upgrades to buildings, and upgrades to public lighting and pedestrian crossings were undertaken in Fermoy and Mitchelstown.
The Xplore Fermoy Digital Vouchers was also funded under the Town Development Fund.
Over two years, Mitchelstown secured funding of €163,00 to develop an age friendly network within the town. Included in this initiative is age friendly seating and parking, both new footpaths and improvements to old ones, upgrading of traffic lights and new public lighting.
In 2020, Fermoy Municipal District managed 44 cemeteries, 13 playgrounds, worked on 37 derelict sites and maintained open spaces and parks, as well as operating Fermoy Swimming Pool.
The Community Support Programme handled in excess of 5,000 requests during 2020. These calls supported the most isolated and vulnerable citizens in our communities.The programme responded to requests for collection and delivery of groceries, prescriptions, social isolation, provision of meals and essential transport.
Other schemes funded included Christmas lights in Mitchelstown and Fermoy, a Christmas tree in Glanworth, the 2020 painting scheme and the Covid-19 Emergency Fund.
BOOKS
The report also includes the activities of the Library Services in 2020. The services provided were of a very different nature, owing to the closures of libraries to the public.
New services included book collection and a housebound service for library users who still wanted to hold a physical book. Throughout the county, 36,090 books were delivered through 2926 housebound deliveries.
Library membership increased to 65,356, and Cork County Council was second only to Dublin City in the number of books issued to the public - 669,403. The availability of digital services meant there was a rise of 300% in the use of e-books and e-issues, available for free through the Borrow Box and Press Reader Apps.
Other activities provided by the library service included the purchase of musical instruments for loan, staff storytimes, the Digital Ambassadors programme to assist older library users with technology, and the creation of ‘crafter packs’ for knitting groups and others who could no longer socialise at the library.
The full report includes the breakdown of funding allocated to specific groups, and is available at corkcoco.ie.