Belturbet Tidy Towns Initiative

Belturbet is out of the blocks first this year when it comes to operation Spring Clean and it will be a case of all hands on deck this Saturday, April 17, as residents in the various estates in conjunction with Cavan County Council get to work. Marty Lynch, housing liaison officer with Cavan County Council was on hand to officially launch the Spring Clean initiative for all the estates in the town last Thursday morning. He told all those assembled to do a leaflet drop in their various estates to inform the people that this Spring Clean initiative is underway. He suggested that operation could include the cutting of lawns, sweeping of the various streets and flower planting. The county council will take away any bags of litter that will be assembled during the clean-up and Mr. Lynch also revealed that there will be an opportunity for other groups to get involved in initiatives in different estates during the month of May. Fairgreen Estate and the Belturbet residents will be the first County Council estate out of the Spring Clean traps this year, said Marty Lynch. The vice chairperson of the Belturbet Tidy Towns committee John Scott revealed that they are constantly upgrading and improving the aesthetic look of different areas of the town on a weekly basis. It is great to see people taking pride in their town, he added. A new seat on a paved area has been in stalled on the Fairgreen and is in keeping with a wonderful transformation that has been carried out generally on the green areas by the residents of the estate. The council provided funding for the paved area and seat as the Fairgreen estate was deemed one of the best in the West Cavan area, according to Cllr. Scott. Michael Mulvanny from Erne Paving formulated the plans for the paved area and the bricks were laid by Paul Rodgers and the County Council local area office supplied equipment and materials for this project. A weeping willow tree was also planted and it is now hoped to install a bin there as well. Cllr. Scott highly commended the residents for the proactive manner in which they are enhancing their estate. The Mayor of Belturbet, John McDonald, was also present for the launch and he complimented the residents in all the estates and the Tidy Town's committee for their great work, and it is reflected by the fact that the points in the national competition are rising each year. Encouraged He also encouraged all the people to come out this Saturday and participate in the Spring Clean. He added that if everyone continues to do a little, it all adds up to a wonderful effort. Cllr. Peggy Gray also complimented everyone involved in the initiatives on the Fairgreen and she revealed that further funding has been sanctioned by the Strategic Policy Committee for other projects in the town. She pointed out that there will also be moves in the coming months to put a fundraising drive in place for the tidy towns effort. Independent Cllr. Michael Lee said he was proud of the effort the people in the various estates were putting in to enhance their areas and the general look of the town. He revealed that he will be spearheading a drive to keep the good work going in the Fay Crescent area in the coming weeks. Catherine Millar, speaking on behalf of the Fairgreen residents, said she was delighted to see the new paved area being put in place, together with a vandal-proof seat. Catherine added that they have received funding in recent years and used to plant new shrubs and trees on the expansive green areas in front of the 16 houses in the estate and the playschool. The open green spaces are also enjoyed by the children and they can play on them, instead of going onto the street. Catherine said that she was one of the first residents to move into the estate and will have been residing there six years by next June and she extolled the virtues of the wonderful community spirit in the area. The chairperson of the Tidy Towns Committee is Tony Prior, while the Vice Chairman is John Scott. The secretary is Eileen McKiernan and the treasurer is Margaret Reynolds. The general committee includes: Cllr. Michael Lee, Cllr. John McDonald, David Graham, Cllr. Peggy Gray, Paddy O'Reilly and Bernard Little.