TIDY TOWNS RESULTS
BEST FOOT FORWARD FOR SLIGO!
It was heartening to read the adjudicator’s comments on each town and village in Sligo. Huge congratulations are due to the hundreds of volunteers who give generously of their own free time to make their community a nicer place to live and work in.
Many towns and villages lost marks by not giving accounts of their activities with the local school Green Flag programme. In almost all cases throughout the country the Tidy Towns centres that do by far the best under the Sustainable Waste and Resource Management heading are those where there are enthusiastic Green Flag participation.
In Sligo’s case, this year has seen “remarkable improvements and also first class maintenance of existing features and structure.”
The adjudicator said the relationship with the Local Authority appears to be “unusually productive; this will help enormously.”
The adjudicators report said some plain 19th century terrace buildings in the central streets are in need of sensitive repair as they form the core of what is really characteristic of Sligo.
They said “a concerted and expensive long-term (rather than piecemeal) renovation scheme on the part of the Local Authority and other bodies is needed, as well as private investment.”
The Committee was praised as “the most powerful force for good over many years in Sligo.”
Blooming Sligo was also praised for the immense effort put into the huge number of containers and tubs that create a great sense of care and colour. Junior Tidy Towns was also credited for their contribution to the town. Regarding tidiness and litter control, the town was congratulated on eliminating the minor eyesores of the fence on Custom House Quay and the Duck Street boundary wall.
The declining presence of overhead cables was “greatly welcomed.” Judges said “structures around the parking area adjacent to Tesco area hotch-potch of smart and tawdry: it will take a huge effort of planning, co-operation and construction to eliminate the latter.”
The Fair Green and the Racecourse were praised, especially the latter for giving “a sense of opulence to its immediate surroundings.”
Many handsome old terrace houses in the city centre and nearby were judged to be “bravely surviving” - “those that have been freshened up with colour exude a sense of pride and indeed optimism.”
Traffic flow was “appalling” on the day of judging, due to extensive roadworks. The inner-relief road was seen to be “frustrating to the through motorists and cause a kind of mid-town barrier to circulation.”
The hard work done by the Local Authority and voluntary organisations was not passed unnoticed however, with the judge “enormously impressed by the ongoing improvements and positive developments.”