Safety – Ashefield

Lights Out – Anti-social behavior

We received reports of anti-social behavior over recent weekends. Contributing to the problem are faulty streetlamps that were reported months ago; in fact, over 7 months ago for one particular case. If you wish to ask the council about the status of the streetlamp replacements, options include contacting Cllr. Ken Glynn or the council customer care at +353 44-9332000 or email customercare [at] westmeathcoco.ie .

Please continue to report any instances of anti-social behavior to Mullingar Gardaí at +353 44-9384000.

Illegal Dumping!

Thanks to JS for this report

There have been instances of illegal dumping of rubbish or ‘fly-tipping’ in the estate over the past couple of weeks. It appears that the incidents have occurred within the laneways. This is not only illegal but represents a potentially serious health hazard.

The environment section of Westmeath Co. Co. was notified and are investigating. Cllrs Ken Glynn and Avril Whitney were also notified – many thanks to them for their quick responses and help.

Westmeath Co. Co.’s advice is that if you see someone fly-tipping, try to take note of:

When and where it is happening
Vehicle registration ( if applicable )
Description of the vehicle – colour, make and model. Is there anything special about it? Does it have an insignia or contact numbers?
What sort of rubbish is being dumped?

Please report the details to Westmeath County Council Environment Section on Lo-Call 1890 320 005 . It will only take a few minutes to report but will be a big help to the community.

Council response to a question regarding Ashefield entrance safety concerns

Cllr. Ken Glynn asked Westmeath County Council about progress made regarding safety concerns at the pedestrian crossing near the entrance to Ashefield on Ashe Road. Cllr. Glynn had asked the Council’s Road Safety Officer to visit this location and assess the issue. Westmeath County Council’s Road Safety Officer replied that they had reviewed this pedestrian crossing:

The crossing is located on Ashe Road between the Ashefield roundabout and the entrance to Tesco. This road has high traffic volumes generated by the location of primary schools, residential areas and the Tesco Shopping Centre. The crossing area is positioned 5 metres off the roundabout. All relevant warning signage is provided. Both approaches to the crossing along the Ashe Road have good forward visibility. For traffic emerging from Ashefield Estate, the crossing has been found to be positioned at the optimum location for both motorists and pedestrians. The current position of the crossing allows a motorist full visibility of the crossing and of both waiting areas on the footpath, from the yield line emerging from Ashefield Estate. By moving it further from the roundabout, motorists would be unable to view pedestrians if they are on the nearside footpath and attempting to cross. The road markings at the crossing are slightly worn and it is proposed that these markings be improved next year. The Council will continue to monitor the safety of this crossing.

Further information is available on Cllr. Glynn’s blog

Attention Dog Owners

Are you a dog owner? Due to the number of dog fouling instances in the estate, which are public health hazards, and loose/unmuzzled dogs, we’d like to bring the following information from Westmeath County Council’s control of animals webpage to your attention.

Dog owners responsibilities:

A person in charge of a dog must clean up when the dog fouls in a public place. Owners who fail to do so are liable to an ‘on-the-spot’ of €150
Keep their dog/s under control in a public place.
Dogs must wear a collar and tag bearing the name and address of the owner.
Certain breeds of potentially dangerous dogs must be kept on a short strong leash and muzzled whenever they are in a public place.

Licensing:

If you have a dog over 4 months old, you must have a licence for it and the person to whom the licence is issued must be over 16 years of age.

A dog licence may be purchased online or at any Post Office.

If you do not have a licence for your dog, you are liable to a €30.00 on-the-spot fine.

Failure to pay this fine can lead to a prosecution with a maximum fine of €1,270.00 and/or up to 3 months imprisonment if convicted.

Breeds of dog to which certain regulations apply under the Control of Dogs Act:

American Pit Bull Terrier
Bulldog
Bull Mastiff
Dobermann Pinscher
English Bull Terrier
German Shepherd (Alsatian)
Japanese Akita
Japanese Tosa
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Rottweiler
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Every dog of the type commonly known as a Ban Dog (or Bandog) and to every other strain or cross of every breed or type of dog described above.

Further information:

Link to Westmeath County Council’s control of dogs webpage

An Post’s dog licensing webpage

Antisocial behaviour

The Gardaí have been notified regarding incidents of egg-throwing at houses near the front of the estate. If you have witnessed this, happen to spot this occurring, or may have CCTV footage, please contact Mullingar Gardaí (preferably). You can also send an email info@165.227.235.101 and this information will be passed on.

Lawnmower theft

A lawnmower was stolen from a shed at the rear of a house in Ashefield between Friday and Saturday. If you noticed anything suspicious during Friday or Saturday, April 22-23, 2011 in the vicinity of houses #156-164, please do contact Mullingar Gardaí at 044 9384000 or using their confidential line at 1800 666 111

This appears to be the latest instance in a rise in burglaries in the Mullingar area. It would be a good idea to check that your sheds and gates are securely locked, all valuable items are out of sight, and tools or implements that could be used to gain entry to houses or sheds are not left lying around. If you do spot anyone or persons behaving suspiciously in the area, please contact the Gardaí and don’t assume someone else has.

Ashefield Residents Association AGM 2011

The next Ashefield residents’ association meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 7, 2011 from 8pm in the Newbury Hotel, Mullingar.

Every resident is invited to attend, contribute ideas, highlight problems, and have an important say in the management of the estate. The committee comprises ordinary residents from the estate who volunteer their time and expertise for free. If you might be considering getting more involved, this would be an ideal opportunity to do so.

The draft agenda is as follows.

Introduction
Why do we need a Residents Association
Responsibilities of each resident
Annual contribution for upkeep of green areas
Tenants/Landlords Responsibilities
Apartment Block
Laneways
Deterring street games and ensuring safety
Ashefield Website
Financial Statement for 2010
Election of new committee
Any other business

More items for the agenda are encouraged. Feel free to use the comments area below or send an email to info@165.227.235.101.

Children playing ball games in the street

A report was received that local children using a wall close to houses near the front of the estate for football have damaged a house window and regularly hit cars with the balls also . Despite different groups having been asked on numerous occasions by local residents to use one of the green areas instead, they refuse to.

In one recent case, a resident witnessed a ball cracking the front window of a house and setting off the alarm.

One solution is to ask parents to encourage their children not to play in the middle of the street and to use the green areas for ball games instead (and under supervision for safety purposes). In addition to the potential for further damage to property, there exists a real danger of an incident involving a moving car given that is the busiest point of the estate in terms of traffic. This problem has been noted for a future residents’ association meeting.

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, please use the comments area below. In an effort to combat spam and hoax comments, comments may not appear immediately but will appear when approved by a moderator.