SEAN McDERMOTT STREET & DISTRICT COMMUNITY UPDATE

3rd December, 2013

MINISTER RING ALLOCATES FUNDING TO TAEKWONDO CLUB
Throughout the past number of months, I have been working with the Minister for Sport, Michael Ring TD to see what financial assistance the Department of Sport could provide to the Sean McDermott Street Taekwondo Club to help improve the facilities in the club. In recent weeks, Minister Ring visited the club and saw for himself the great work that is done by the leaders of the Club and the success its members have had over the years and continue to have today. On Wednesday evening last, myself and Minister Ring along with Councillor Ray McAdam visited the Taekwondo Club and informed them that his Department would make €25,000 available towards the cost of improving facilities in the club. I hope this money will prove useful in assisting Sean McDermott Street Taekwondo Club and that it has many more years of success to come. 

HSE PRIMARY CARE CENTRE ON MOUNTAINVIEW COURT
The Planning Department of Dublin City Council is currently considering a planning application lodged by the HSE for the construction of the new Primary Care Centre on the Mountainview Court site. The application was lodged on October 11st last and includes plans for the provision of child or adolescent mental health care, early intervention facilities, dental and GP surgery accommodation as well as an Ambulance and Paramedic base. It is expected that a decision will be made on the planning application shortly and it is hoped that construction work on delivering the new Primary Care Centre can begin in early 2014.

SEAN McDERMOTT STREET SWIMMING POOL RENOVATIONS
In recent months, residents across the North-east Inner City have spoken of their concerns that the Sean McDermott Street swimming pool will be closed. Both myself and Councillor Ray McAdam have therefore been raising the issue with the City Council. Councillor McAdam has advised as a result of his support for the Council Budget in recent years, Dublin City Council hasallocated €188,800 for the refurbishment programme of Sean McDermott Street swimming pool and these works include:

· €20,000 for the installation of a motorised heat retention blanket
· €10,000 on an automatic pool chemical dosing unit
· €54,800 on a new Energy efficient burner
· €90,800 on a new heat recovery ventilation unit
· €11,000 on new lighting installation
· €3,000 on the installation of a new automatic pool floor cleanerTenders are currently being assessed from contractors so as to enable the remaining works to be completed. I understand that a contractor will be appointed within weeks and quickly thereafter a specific timeline will be agreed for the undertaking of the renovation programme. 

€1.2m IN NEW FUNDING FOR LOCAL CHILDREN SUPPORTS
Minister Frances Fitzgerald allocated €1.2m in funding for the Docklands and East Inner City Area-Based Childhood Programme earlier this week. The provision of this money will allow for a greater focus on parenting programmes, strengthening families, community mother programmes and educational initiatives. By ensuring that funding has been made available for programmes such as these, sufficient supports can now be put in place to protecting the welfare of our children.

LOCAL GRAFFITI REMOVAL
The Public Domain Unit of Dublin City Council has been removing incidents of graffiti in various sites across the Sean McDermott Street district across the past month. Both the Probation Service and the Council’s Corporate Contractor have removed graffiti on Killarney Street,Gloucester Place UpperMountainview CourtGloucester Place Lower and Summerhill. As always, if there are items of graffiti on your street or avenue, please get in touch with me and I will arrange for its removal.