Kildare Chamber of Commerce

Newsletter February 2008

Waste Water Treatment Plant

The major issue affecting Kildare Town at the beginning of 2007 was the proposed upgrade to the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Following a major push by the Chamber, the executive had been led to believe that the all important contract documents were ready to go to tender as early as July 2006. This promise proved to be unfounded as we discovered to our dismay there was an on going dispute between the Dept. of Environment and Kildare County Council with regard to how the plant would be delivered.
With an election looming the agenda was set for 2007, with the focus firmly placed on achieving our target before the political landscape changed in early summer. Through effective lobbying at the highest level in government, combined with weekly contact with Kildare County Council officials, the announcement by An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in late February of funding for the project was quickly followed by departmental approval of Kildare County Councils proposal for delivery.
On 5th June contract documents were lodged with the Dept. of Environment for approval….

Farmers Market

Following an approach from “Quarrymount Freerange Meats” to set up a privately run Farmer’s Market in Kildare Town, the Chamber acted as a facilitator in organising meetings with local representatives and relevant departments of Kildare County Council for permission to use the Market Square. Launched on a wet and windy Friday in early March, the market was dogged by poor weather conditions in the early weeks. To their credit stall holders have stuck to the task and maintained their presence through one of the wettest summers on record and are now looking forward to the beginning of their second season.
We would encourage chamber members and friends to support the Farmer’s Market as we see it as being an added attraction for shoppers to the town, while also being a reflection of times past when local farmers came to town to sell their produce.

Derby Ball

Our most successful Derby Ball to date raising €26,850 for local charity the KCEP. Held at the Standhouse Hotel on the eve of the last Budweiser sponsored Irish derby, the ball was attended by almost 300 guests.

Our objective with the support of the Curragh racecourse is to develop a charity event that will have national appeal. We were delighted with the return from the auction, which exceeded all our expectations and that all monies collected will be going back into the local community, to honour a three year deal made with local charity KCEP.

Magee Barracks

Magee Barracks is a substantial strategic site located in close proximity to Kildare town centre. Since the inauguration of the Kildare Chamber of Commerce in 1998, issues surrounding Magee Barracks have always been closely linked to our agenda. In November 2007 we made a submission to Kildare County Council, addressing all major issues relating to the draft framework plan on public display at the time in Aras Bhrid.
(See www.kildarechamber.com for full submission)
We are now looking forward to having the opportunity to make a more detailed submission to accompany the statutory process as the Magee Barracks site will form a substantial part of the new Local Area Plan due for release in the coming months.

Kildare Derby Festival

The Kildare Derby Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008. Over the years the festival has provided a source of entertainment and community involvement for many local people and groups and has been funded in the main by “Irish Derby” sponsors Budweizer. This revenue stream was lost following the 2006 event, which left organisers with the added burden of raising funds while organising events on a voluntary basis.
Following an approach for assistance from Festival chairman Ollie Kearns, the Chamber executive engaged with consultants firm FGS, who have worked on various projects around the country including the “Rose of Tralee” and the “Oxygen” festival in Punchestown, with a view to establishing the future viability of the event. Funding for the report was sourced through Failte Ireland and was managed by the Chamber on behalf of the Kildare Derby Festival committee.
The report which outlines the need for change and maps out the format and structures required to be put in place to achieve a successful festival, was positively received by Festival Committee members at a recent briefing meeting with FGS consultant Ronan Crummy. The Chamber will continue to work closely with the Festival committee to develop the findings of the report, though it has been recognised that no major change is possible at this late stage for 2008.

Casual Trading Bye-Laws

The unregulated expansion coupled with the infiltration of stalls selling pirated DVD’s and contra-ban cigarettes continues to be a problem for the traditional Thursday market in Kildare town. Having submitted draft casual trading bye-laws in 2005, the Chamber in correspondence to the County Manager in May 2007, have made the strong recommendation that casual trading byelaws as drafted and/or as amended be passed and implemented by the Council.
Although progress has been slow, the issue of casual trading bye-laws for the Market Square is now on the agenda of the local area committee in Kildare County Council. We are hopeful of a breakthrough in 2008.

Traffic Management Study

In September last the Chamber in conjunction with representatives of the Primary Schools Parents association made a submission with regard to a new traffic management study being compiled by consultants “WSP Ireland Ltd” for Kildare County Council. The full draft of the submission can be seen on our web-site www.kildarechamber.com

Tidy Towns

2007 was a very busy year for the Kildare Tidy Towns Committee. The committee launched there three year work program. This is a working document outlining the various projects to be undertaken over the three years. The project headings are:

Built Environment

Landscaping

Litter Control/Tidiness

Waste minimization

Approach Roads

Residential Areas

The committee has created strong links with Kildare County Council, Local School Authorities, State Agencies, Residence Associations and the Kildare Chamber.

This year’s hard work paid off with Kildare increasing its score in the Tidy Towns Competition by 36 marks. Kildare was second in the county for its “Waste Minimisation Programme” and the highest scorers in our electoral area.

These results have given the Committee great encouragement to continue working in improving Kildare. The Tidy Towns Committee is very grateful to the support of the Chamber of Commerce in 2007 and looks forward to the two groups working together in the future, and making Kildare a better place to live, work and visit.

The Kildare Tidy Towns AGM will take place on Monday 25th February 2008 at 7.30pm in the Adult Education Centre, Kildare.

All chamber members are encouraged to attend.

Christmas

The Chamber continues to be proactively involved in organising events and activities over the Christmas period, with a dedicated sub-committee over-seeing the organisation and delivery of various projects.
Turning on the Christmas lights in early December has been coupled with Parish and community involvement celebrating the spirit of Christmas, while our most successful event continues to be the concert in St. Brigid’s Cathedral, which once again attracted a capacity crowd for this years offering by “Rebecca Storm”.
The Christmas Eve breakfast in USAC restaurant attracted over 50 Chamber members with proceeds in aid of the KCEP.