Families getting into swing of things at new playground

The new Castlepollard Town Park has been hailed by councillors as one of the finest amenities in Westmeath following its opening this summer.

At the Mullingar Kinnegad MD September meeting, Cllr Alfie Devine said the facility, which includes a skate park, children’s play areas and landscaped walkways, had quickly become “really well used” by local families.

“This is probably one of the best parks in the county at the minute,” he said. “It’s a credit to the county council and the workers who actually did the work.” He also paid tribute to Joe Ward and Catherine Offins, who first had the idea for a skate park in Castlepollard nearly a decade ago.

The park opened in time for the new school term, and councillors noted that visitors are travelling from across the county to use it. District engineer Pat Kavanagh confirmed that final landscaping and plaza works linking the park to Castlepollard Square will begin in the coming weeks.

Grange plan

Mr Kavanagh also revealed that the district is also set to install a playground, close to the bike park at the canal-side linear park at Grange. “That will be procured in the next few weeks,” he said.

Playground improvements

The facilities at other playgrounds across the district also came up for mention and members raised concerns about delays, closures, and upkeep.

Cllr Aoife Davitt suggested extending the Mullingar Town Park playground, noting it is “so used” that extra equipment would be welcome. She also asked for updates on the dog park fencing, while Cllr Emily Wallace pressed for quicker turnaround times in Killucan and Belvedere.

Cllr David Jones said the resurfacing at Clonmellon playground needs to be closely monitored after problems in the previous facility: “We need to keep an eye on the new surface, and maybe have an official opening so kids know it’s their playground to mind.”

Pat Kavanagh replied that delays in repairs to playgrounds often stem from difficulty sourcing specialist parts: “Some of these parts were bespoke pieces and hard to get, but we’re moving towards equipment that can be repaired more easily.” He confirmed the Coole playground is scheduled for completion later this year.