Fore and Finea prioritised for village enhancement schemes

The north Westmeath villages of Fore and Finea have escaped the freeze on the county's Village Enhancement Programme, which has been put on hold as Westmeath County Council's tightened its belt for 2010.The County Manager, Danny McLoughlin said at the Council's recent annual budget meeting that the "uniqueness" of the two villages left it incumbent on officials to prioritise them for enhancement works.He said that while enhancement works had been completed in Kinnegad, Rochfortbridge, Castlepollard and Multyfarnham, other areas would not be as fortunate."Regrettably, the Council's Village Enhancement Programme had to be suspended mid-year to compensate for funding regulations in the Local Government Fund," Mr. McLoughlin told the meeting, confirming that the programme will recommence once the Council's finances improve.He noted that Westmeath Community Development has had its Rural Development Programme approved, and as part of this, they have been encouraged to work with local authorities in areas such as rural tourism and village enhancement.As a consequence, the Manager recommended a budget of €200,000 from development levies to "act as leverage" for co-funding of Village Enhancements with Westmeath Community Development.Highlighting Fore's importance as a tourist trap, and Finea's position as a crucial entry point to the north of the county, Mr. McLoughlin recommended that both villages be prioritised under this shared funding initiative.The announcement was welcomed by Cllrs Paddy Hill (Fianna Fáil) and Frank McDermott (Fine Gael), but Labour's Cllr. Johnny Penrose expressed disappointment that planned works at Rathowen and Ballinalack would go by the wayside.Meanwhile, Cllr. Dan McCarthy (Labour) claimed that at a public meeting in Delvin last year, "promises were made" to residents that €750,000 had been set aside for village enhancement works. "People are very angry that they didn't get the money for a pedestrian crossing and footpaths," he said, as chairman Fintan Cooney attempted to set the matter aside for a future Coole Area meeting.But Cllrs. Hill and McDermott took the new Coole area councillor to task over his remark.Cllr. McDermott said that central government "changed the ground rules" after the Village Enhancement Programme for the Coole Area."We had no choice other than to adjust the budget," he said, adding that unfinished footpaths outside Delvin were a matter for developers. Cllr. Hill said that he understood that Delvin was "next in line" for work before the budget adjustment, and pointed out that the Village Enhancement Programme was set out by the Manager for a "period of years"."We gave no promises at that meeting," he continued."We told the people of Delvin what was being proposed."I'm sure the programme will resume again, and that Delvin will be a priority," Cllr. Hill concluded, adding that he was "unhappy" with the role played by other agencies in the village enhancement schemes, namely "the ESB and Telecom".The County Manager confirmed that the villages of Delvin and Tyrrellspass would be next in line for works, once the programme resumes.