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On 1st February 2007 over 300 young people from schools and youth education centres in Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim, Longford and Donegal gathered in the Clarion Hotel, Sligo to speak out on the social issues that concern them and outlined the action they are taking to solve them. Road safety, youth facilities, body image and alcohol abuse were just some of the issues tackled by the students who were among over 5,000 young people throughout the country participating in Young Social Innovators 2007, Ireland’s largest social awareness and citizenship programme.

The event was officially opened by the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Tom Mac Sharry and Cllr Jim McGarry, Cathaoirleach, Sligo County Council, co-hosted the event with Young Social Innovators. Other guests included public representatives as well as representatives of community, business, statutory and voluntary organisations. It was the third in a series of eleven Speak Out Fora taking place around the country which are designed to increase local awareness and support for the projects being undertaken as part of YSI.

At the event, Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, Chairperson, Young Social Innovators, called on the government to ensure that structures are put in place to enable young people to take an active role in their communities. “Young people are not as disinterested in their communities as many might think. Over 15,000 young people have participated in YSI since it began in 2002. The projects they have undertaken and the results they have achieved demonstrate the real difference young people can make to social issues when given the opportunity”. She added: “Engaging with the democratic process is one of the valuable experiences that young people take from YSI. It is important that the government play its role in creating a culture of active participation and citizenship”. Sr. Stan welcomed the involvement of local authorities, including Sligo Borough and Sligo County Councils, in co-hosting the Speak Out Fora. “It is very encouraging to see local authorities take a proactive approach towards the engagement of young people in their communities,” she said.

Rachel Collier, Chief Executive Officer, Young Social Innovators said that the local businesses and the wider community could play a part too. “YSI is the largest and fastest growing social awareness programme in Ireland. It encourages active citizenship and gets young people involved in real life issues. We would encourage more people to become involved and help young people respond to the social issues they are tackling”, she said. “Your support will make a difference. We cannot take for granted that we will have active citizens in the future - we need to nurture and support them. Supports need to be built within and outside the school communities”, she added. A total of 360 projects are being undertaken in YSI 2007 across a broad spectrum of social issues. A full list of projects and participating schools is available on www.youngsocialinnovators.ie

Eleven Speak Out Fora are taking place around the country. In addition to Sligo, the venues include Galway, Cork, Fingal, Waterford, Louth and Dublin. The young people will continue to develop their projects over the coming months and will present their final recommendations on their chosen issue at the Young Social Innovators Showcase which takes place in the RDS from 9th – 10th May.

Young Social Innovators is funded through sponsorship. In addition to its main sponsor, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, YSI receives funding from the Office for the Minister for Children, the Department of Education, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, Irish Aid, FETAC, The Irish Famine Commemoration Fund, Trocaire, HSE and the Irish Youth Foundation.

In the highly regulated area of waste management it is important for local authorities to be able to track the movement of both hazardous and non hazardous waste from the time of production to its final destination and final treatment. This helps to ensure that waste is treated in the correct manner so to best safeguard the environment.

With a view to achieving this, waste collectors must hold valid waste collection permits and if exporting waste out of thecountry the waste must be accompanied with Transfrontier Shipping Documentation (TFS). The need for multi-agency coordinated enforcement actions is required to target waste collection and movement throughout the country.

Sligo County Council recently participated in a concerted effort to tackle the problem of illegal waste movements. Vehicle checkpoints were set up in a number of local authorities in conjunction with An Garda Siochana. A large number of vehicles were stopped and had their cargo inspected. Following these actions enforcement measures are currently being pursued for noncompliances with the relevant legislation.

Sligo Borough Council is seeking views from the public on an ‘Urban Design Framework Plan’ for the Quay Street area. The Council held a drop-in clinic on 7th March to enable the public discuss their views with planning consultants preparing the Plan. The Council is anxious to hear from any individual, business, landowner or developer with an interest in the area. Written submissions or observations headed ‘Quay Quarter Urban Design Framework’ may also be submitted to Ms A Jones, Sligo Borough Council, City Hall, Quay Street, Sligo or by e-mail to tclerk@sligoborough.ie , before 5:00pm on Friday, March 16th, 2007.

The purpose of the urban framework is to provide guidance on the potential future development of the area which includes the following streets, Queens Store Road – Lower Quay Street – Upper Quay Street and to also include Quay Street Car Park and some buildings on the south side of Lower Quay Street. The site is an important and strategic site situated close to the principal bridge crossing of the River Garvogue. Part of the area is included in an Architectural Conservation Area. The site is significantly under-utilised but presents one of the most highly visible and prominent sites encountered by residents and visitors on entering the town centre from the north along the N15/Bundoran Road. The plan will study the land use requirements in this part of the town, including car parking, and provide guidelines on the future pattern and form of development in the area. The provision of a civic space and public amenity on the Quay Street Car Park will also be considered including its design and layout.

Sligo County Library was delighted to celebrating the 10th Birthday of World Book Day on Thursday March 1st 2007. World Book Day has become firmly established as the biggest annual event promoting the enjoyment of books and reading. The Deputy Mayor of Sligo Cllr. Jude Devins attended Sligo Central Library to celebrate the occasion.

On World Book Day 2007, twelve of the biggest names in fiction and non-fiction were published under the Quick Reads banner – these books were specially written to appeal to those of us who have lost or are yet to develop the habit of reading for pleasure.

Eight new titles in the Quick Reads series of books were also launched on the day. There's a great choice to get you started as they are written by authors known in and beyond the world of books. Authors include Kerry Katona, Ricky Tomlinson and Allen Carr. They are bite-sized books which will appeal to anyone who wants a short fast read!

Proposed Development of a new Museum Sligo County Council is developing a new museum on a city centre site in Sligo. The museum will provide a countywide service and will establish a regionally significant centre which will fulfill a range of functions in respect of material heritage of the county, the communities living in the northwest and visitors to the region. It will provide a new cultural venue for events and a public oriented educational hub for heritage and cultural programmes and activities.

The Museum will be one element of a Cultural Corridor which will also include a new civic space, an extended and refurbished Model Arts and Niland Gallery and new access ways to the city centre.

In order to inform the process of the museum development public consultation sessions have been arranged. You are invited to attend.

Public Consultation Sessions

Date	Venue	Time
Tuesday 13th March	One Stop Shop, Tubbercurry	7 – 9pm
Thursday 15th March	Sligo Park Hotel, Pearse Road, Sligo	7 – 9pm
Tuesday 20th March	Grange Post Primary School, Grange	7 – 9pm
Tuesday 27th March	Enterprise Centre, Easkey	7 – 9pm
Thursday 29th March	Coach House Hotel, Ballymote	7 – 9pm

This is your opportunity to find out more and to contribute to the form and theme of the Museum. Please come along to one of the sessions and have your say.

The Presbyterian Moderator Rt Rev. Dr David Clarke was a recent visitor to Sligo and received an official welcome from Mayor Councillor Tom MacSharry and the Cathaoirleach Councillor Jim McGarry. Dr Clarke is Minister of the Terrace Row Presbyterian Church in Coleraine, and his Sligo visit follows on recent engagements in Cork and Athlone.

Dr Clarke said he was pleased to visit the offices of Sligo Local Authorities, remarking that ‘public service is the fabric of our community. I commend those who give of their time and effort to serve others for the betterment of the whole community.’

Dr Clarke also paid tribute to his Sligo host Reverend Alan Mitchell. ‘There is no better advocate for Sligo than Alan Mitchell.’

The Cathaoirleach Councillor McGarry was joined by Councillors Patsy Barry, Albert Higgins and Councillor Sean MacManus in welcoming Dr Clarke to County Hall, where he received a presentation from the Cathaoirleach and signed the distinguished visitor’s book.

Gortnaderry Bridge – North Sligo Gortnaderry Bridge was one of a number of bridges where repair work was carried out in 2006. The upstream masonry parapet had been partially demolished by vehicular impact.

This bridge is a fine double span segmental arch structure incorporating a substantial central pier and triangular cutwater. The internal vaults of the arches are of random rubble but the external arch rings (voussoirs) are rough dressed sandstone.

North Sligo outdoor staff consisting of Michael Hopkins, Cyril Walsh and Hugh Quinn and General Service Supervisor – Mattie Loughlin carried out the repair works including:

The result is another fine piece of work prolonging the life of our industrial and infrastructural heritage. Other bridges which benefited from some maintenance work in 2006 were;

The programme is managed and supervised by Gary Salter, Senior Executive Engineer, and Dessie Sloyan and the Area Engineers.

Sligo County Council’s Cathaoirleach’s Awards Scheme for 2007 was launched recently. The scheme was devised to reward the people who give special voluntary service to their community. The Award categories are: Arts, Community, Environment, Heritage, Schools and Sports. The awards committee is chaired by Cathaoirleach Councillor McGarry. The closing date for nominations is Friday 30th March and the awards ceremony will be held in County Hall on Friday 27th April.

Nomination forms available from the Communications Office, Sligo County Council and are also available on-line at www.sligococo.ie

Pupils from Gurteen Vocational School were guests of Sligo County Council recently under the authority’s ‘Open Local Government’ initiative. The pupils attended a presentation on the role and objectives of the Council and attended the monthly meeting in the council chamber. The group also participated in a discussion on road safety, and agreed to form a ‘focus group’ to generate feedback to the Council on this hugely important issue.

For a number of years Sligo County Council applied to the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources for funding to repair / reconstruct the Ardnaglass River outfall structure at Dunmoran Strand. In late August 2006 notification of finance arrived and a programme was immediately put in place to carry out the project. A bathymetric survey was carried out followed by numerical analysis to establish wave heights at the outfall site. This provided information for the design of the replacement structure. Subsequently tender documents were prepared, Part 8 planning permission was obtained and a contract was let following an open tender process to Ascon Ltd in November 2006.

The works comprise:

The project is due for completion by late spring 2007 and is managed by the Marine and Structure Section in the Infrastructure Directorate. Project Engineer Gary Salter and Resident Engineer Dessie Sloyan.

A recent meeting of the Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) reviewed the infrastructural improvements funded by the body in recent years. According to Senior Engineer Tommy Carroll ‘ In the region of €1m was provided in the period 2003-2005, and this has enabled Sligo County Council to undertake much needed improvements to harbours on West Sligo Coastline, amenity improvements at our coastal resorts and a major upgrade of Raghly Harbour. Our road network has also benefited from the ICBAN programme though realignment and re-surfacing schemes.