€100,000 Kells spending 'waste'

THE €100,000 cost of completing traffic-calming measures at Gardenrath/Rockfield estates in Kells was "the greatest waste of money", Colr John Farrelly  complained at last week's meeting of the Kells area committee of Meath County Council.

Councillors agreed to draw down €30,000 from next year's estimates to complete five ramps in the estates to bring to an end the long-drawn-out controversy over traffic design there.

Area manager Brendan McGrath told them that it had cost €70,000 to buy out the contractor of the works - begun late last spring - which members voted to scrap after strong opposition from residents. He estimated that €12,000 of the cost was for security fencing on the site since last April.

The work had to be done, said Colr Bryan Reilly, proposing their completion. He knew that "it's money that we do not have" but members had known from the day they overturned the design that "there would be a cost". Four householders in the area "have been living with a nightmare there for the past six months".

No officials had wasted money, said Mr McGrath, as the design was to proper guidelines but local residents did not want it. Councillors were perfectly entitled to listen to them midway into the contract - "that's democracy" - but the contract had to be bought out, which had been paid fully from this year's estimates.

The new scheme involved two new ramps and other works, which area engineer Shane Carroll estimated should be started in early January.

The added maintenance and security cost had built up over the past six months, said Colr Eugene Cassidy, while Colr Michael Gallagher said that it was "a lot of money wasted but I blame no-one".