A Quick Guide to RAPID in Sligo
What is it? RAPID is a Government programme, designed to improve services and quality of life in certain urban areas around the country. It was put in place to bring State agencies and communities together at local level to decide how existing budgets and energy can be put to better use in specially designated areas. Sligo is a Strand 2 project - one of 20 provincial towns around the country to be designated in this stage of the programme in 2002. Strand 1 was implemented in 2001 in the main urban centres of the country. How did it come about? Despite the fact that Ireland has recently experienced an economic boom, it is clear that not every area in the country has benefited equally. Community and voluntary groups recognised this fact and raised it with Government as a priority issue. Where are the RAPID areas in Sligo town? Cranmore Doorly Park and Garavogue Villas St Joseph’s Terrace St Bridget’s Terrace Pilkington Tce Maugheraboy Estate Jinks Ave Tracey Ave Forthill and Cartron Estate How does it work? The RAPID Co-ordinator works with an Area Implementation Team to look together at the needs in the various areas, decide which are the most urgent and put together a plan of actions to tackle them. Who is on the Area Implementation Team (AIT)? The agencies represented on the team include Sligo County Council, Sligo Borough Council, the Garda Siochana, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Health Service Executive, the VEC, FAS, Sligo Education Centre and Sligo LEADER Partnership Co. There are 3 Community Reps on the AIT, coming from RAPID areas. How are the Community Representatives chosen? There are 5 RAPID areas and 3 Community Representative places on the AIT. Each area nominates someone to sit on the Community Representative team and each will have the opportunity to feed into the RAPID AIT. The Community Reps membership of the AIT will rotate from time to time to allow all areas to have representation on the RAPID AIT at some stage. The purpose of this group is to keep communities up to date with RAPID initiatives and to have regular feedback on the needs, ideas and good practice identified in their area.	- Garavogue-Riverside environment enhancement - Meals on Wheels Service, Sligo Social Services - Cosy Cats Childcare Project - Acorn Park Cranmore - Mercy College Sports Hall
What are the benefits of RAPID? There are several annual funding schemes which are available to RAPID areas: Housing Estate Enhancement Scheme (HES) – small scale capital measures to enhance the physical environment in Council estates, e.g. landscaping, seating, lighting, walls and green areas. Playground Scheme - provision of playground equipment or renovation of existing equipment. Traffic Calming Scheme – capital works to improve road safety. Community Support Budget – small budget to enable publicity, information dissemination and support for communications involved in RAPID work. RAPID Education Leverage Fund – Schools in RAPID areas can apply for funding towards small capital projects and equipment. Funds which are not exclusive to RAPID areas: Dormant Accounts Fund – different measures each year, some RAPID specific. Community CCTV Scheme* National Childcare Investment Programme Sports Capital Programme* Top up from DCRGA is available for RAPID applicants in most circumstances. What difference will RAPID make? All of the State agencies currently involved in your area will be sitting around a table with community representatives on an official basis. Together, they will look at how things are being done at present and recommend improvements and changes. Communities will have a central role to play in deciding what the priorities should be and what should be done to address them. Monitoring Committees have been set up locally and nationally to ensure that each agency acts on the commitments it makes under RAPID. Housing Estate Enhancement Garavogue Villas /Riverside Walk Cranmore Estate Management Project Maugheraboy Estate Enhancement 2004 Projects that received RAPID endorsement Cosy Cats Childcare Project WAVES – Support worker for domestic violence work in RAPID areas. Cartron Bay Recreation Area. Northside Community Resource Centre Youth Project. Dream Chasers Childcare Group, Merville Community Centre. St. Anne’s Community Café. Step On – Reintegration of the unemployed. Moving On Programme & Linkage Programme – for ex-offenders Parenting Alone programme. Meals on Wheels, Sligo Social Services. Traffic Calming Cartron Estate – provision of speed ramps Mercy Convent - school bus lay-by. Playgrounds Acorn Park – Cranmore 2006 Forthill Playground 2007 Forthill Municipal Park 2006 Sports Capital Fund Mercy College Sports Hall Sligo Rovers Pitch Development. St. Mary’s GAA Club. Future 2 Community CCTV Projects in Forthill and Cranmore 2007. Environmental enhancement in Cartron Estate and the Fairgreen 2007. YOUR LOCAL RAPID MEETINGS 2007 We are starting the New Year with a series of RAPID Community meetings which will take place in a different RAPID area each week beginning on: Thursday 1st of February 2007 in Merville Community Centre at 8pm for Maugheraboy and Jinks, Tracey Avenue areas. Thursday 8th February at Northside Community Resource Centre for Forthill area at 8pm. Thursday 15th February at St. Joseph’s Church, Ballytivnan for Cartron Estate at 9pm. Wednesday 21st February at Abbeyquarter Community Centre for Doorly Park and Garavogue Villas at 7pm and Cranmore 8.30pm. Thursday 1st March at MCR Community Centre at 8pm for St Joseph’s Terrace, St. Bridget’s Tce and Pilkington Tce. The meetings are being held to inform local communities about what RAPID is and does. This will give residents an opportunity to voice their opinions on their neighbourhoods. These questions will be asked: How can the RAPID Programme make your community a better place to live? How can we improve the quality of life for older people, young people, those on a low income, with a disability, or others who may have special needs/requirements? Are there gaps in services and facilities locally? Do you have time to give to the RAPID Programme in 2007? We are currently seeking community representatives from each RAPID area. Contact us for details. Your view matters, so come along to the community meeting in your area. For more details contact Pamela Andison, RAPID Co-ordinator at 071 9111805 or pandison@sligococo.ie   The RAPID Programme is based in Community and Enterprise, Sligo County Council, Development Centre, Cleveragh Road, Sligo.