Campaign for new Kinnegad school

Despite a poor attendance at a public meeting held last week, a campaign to secure a new secondary school for Kinnegad is to press ahead, with the aim of forming a 'representative group' to push the issue at local and national level.Local activist and election candidate Denis Leonard said that it is hoped that a twelve-member working group will be set up, featuring two representatives from each of the area"s national schools, as well as two reps each from Kinnegad Community Council and the parish.Mr. Leonard said that if it materialises, the new Kinnegad secondary school would either be a VEC project, or a joint-charter school between the State and the Diocese of Meath.'Because all of these bodies will be involved at some point down the road, we"re asking them to get involved now and to help secure a site for the school,' he said.The Kinnegad Community Council secretary said that there had been indications that the school would be ready by 2011, and that prefabricated buildings would be installed on a site, with development of the school proceeding from there.'We"re arguing that with the cost of materials and labour down, now is the best time to build - especially when at one point, you couldn"t even get builders to work on schools. Renting prefabs right now would be very counterproductive.'Kinnegad needs a new focus.The heart of the town, its young people, is disappearing into Mullingar and Rochfortbridge every day.There"s a lot of activity in a town when you have a school in it, and Kinnegad is deprived of a lot of social, cultural and social activities which you would get under the auspices of a secondary school.'Mr. Leonard said that 85 children from Kinnegad Parish received their Confirmation last week.He added that with school transport costs going through the roof, and school-going populations increasing in Mullingar, Killucan and Rochfortbridge, leaving Kinnegad to go to school in these areas mightn"t be an option in the future.Senior citizens" partyThe annual senior citizens" party in Kinnegad, organised by Kinnegad/Coralstown Social Services, will take place on Sunday, May 10 commencing at 1pm in the Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad.If anyone would like to attend, please contact 044-9375629, 044-9374337, or 044-9374493.Two injured in serious accidentTwo people were injured in a serious road traffic accident outside the town of Kinnegad on Friday last, April 24. The accident took place at the roundabout on the Galway (western) side of Kinnegad.The accident took place when a lorry collided with two other cars, and the incident resulted in traffic tailbacks along the old N6 roadway.Emergency services personnel were contacted immediately, and came to the scene within minutes.Members of An Garda Siochána"s traffic corps re-directed the backlog of traffic onto other routes, as ambulance personnel attended to the injured parties.The injuries sustained by the two people are understood to have been of a serious nature.