News and information for residents of Ashefield, Mullingar, Ireland
Wallace Recycling recently moved to fortnightly refuse/recycling collections. This means they won’t collect green (refuse) and blue (recycling) on the same week anymore. Their updated calendar can be found here
According to their website:
General rubbish collected only on weeks in white. Day of collection has not changed. Recycle bin collected only on weeks marked blue. Day of collection has not changed. For further information contact 044 9347177
From 10am to 4pm today, you can bring your waste electrical products to a free ERP recycling centre at Tesco.
Products that has/had a battery or plug can be brought e.g.
Staff will be on hand to assist with unloading and both plug and battery-operated electrical waste will be accepted. Commercial waste will not be accepted
Streetlights #7 and #12 at the first junction within the estate are faulty. Westmeath Co. Co. has been notified.
Note: these are draft minutes and may be updated
Ms. Margaret Kavanagh (Treasurer/Secetary)
Mr. David Conroy (Committee Member)
Ms. Maria Colvert (Committee Member)
Residents – their attendance was recorded on a sign-in sheet
Also in Attendance:
Councillor Ruth Illingworth (Town Councillor)
Mr. Robert Troy T.D.
Mr. Jonathan Darcy (AES)
Meeting was opened by Ms. Margaret Kavanagh and all those in attendance were welcomed.
The role of the Residents Association was discussed by Ms. Margaret Kavanagh.
Ms. Margaret Kavanagh reminded those present that grass cutting currently carried out by the contractor only extends to the large green areas. It remains the responsibility of the residents to cut the strip of grass in front of their own house.
Mr. David Conroy proposed that the contribution per house be continued at the current rate of €30 per annum. This was agreed by all those present. However the possibility of using a raffle to raise funds in the future was discussed. Ms. Margaret Kavanagh said that she had got a two quotes for the cutting of the grass and while the exact cost had not been agreed finally with the tendering parties it was expected that this would be approximately €1400. The large green area adjacent to the C-Link road was discussed and was felt this area needed remedial works. Mr Robert Troy T.D. undertook to write to the County Council and request that these works be carried out.
Ashefield resident and professional fitness instructor, Eamonn offered to hold a series of fitness classes using one of the green areas within the estate. It was proposed that any revenue generated would be contributed to the estate funds.
It was discussed that as some of the houses are rented there is an issue as to who has the responsibility for the upkeep. It was decided that the residents should forward the request to the landlord if they were unprepared to pay.
Ms. Margaret Kavanagh said that the apartment block in Ashefield did not have a management company. Therefore it was unclear as to who had responsibility for the upkeep of the area around the apartments.
The issue of litter in the laneways and the congregation of people in laneways was discussed. Councillor Ruth Illingworth stated that it was currently proposed to close off some of the laneways in neighbouring estate Abbeylands. However it was decided that this course of action would not be pursued. Other deterrent methods were proposed and discussed.
Ms. Margaret Kavanagh reminded residents that a lot of information regarding the estate and the residents association is currently available on the estate’s website.
http://165.227.235.101/
Ms. Margaret Kavanagh presented the financial statement for 2011 (see below).
Mr. David Conroy and Ms. Maria Colvert agreed to stay on in their current position. This was unopposed. Ms. Margaret Kavanagh stated that she no longer wished to remain in the position of treasurer and asked if anyone was willing to go forward. Mr. Joe Gettings offered to take over this role.
He was accepted into this position unopposed. Ms. Margaret Kavanagh then handed over the folder containing the financial details of Ashefield Residents Association and undertook to assist in the smooth handover of the accounts to Mr. Joe Gettings. Ms. Margaret Kavanagh also presented Mr. Joe Gettings with the Associations Petty Cash which amounted to €120.
The meeting was then concluded.
| Date | Description | Credit | Debit | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance from 2009 | €1180.30 | *** | €1180.30 | |
| 07.05.10 | Community grant | €200 Credit Union | *** | €1380.30 |
| 28.05.10 | Grass cutting – J. McD | *** | €360 | €1020.30 |
| 01.06.10 | Contributions | €760 (Dave) | *** | €1780.30 |
| 25.06.10 | Contributions | €440 (Tom) | *** | €2220.30 |
| 02.07.10 | Grass cutting – J. McD | *** | €360 | €1860.30 |
| 16.07.10 | Contributions (Eddie) | €60 | *** | €1920.30 |
| 07.08.10 | Contributions (Maria) | €595 | *** | €2515.30 |
| 07.09.10 | Grass cutting | *** | €600 | €1915.30 |
| 10.11.10 | Grass cutting | *** | €360 | €1555.30 |
| December | Miscellaneous items – bin tags, etc. | *** | €100 cash (not in Credit Union) | |
| December | Late payment. | No.2 €30 | *** | €60 to be kept for misc. expenses |
Due to new Credit Union rules with regards to withdrawing cash, the present committee has decided to keep a certain amount of money in the kitty for miscellaneous expenses as it is not always convenient for members to get to the credit union.
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.
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.
Westmeath Co. Co. issued a water supply update for Westmeath just after 4pm today, which was quickly updated by the current notice released at 5pm. Despite the plan to continue the water restrictions, the evening shut-off time has been extended to 9pm . This, no doubt, should be a relief to those of you who returned to work today and may have a distance to travel.
• Tuesday night / Wednesday morning – Tuesday 4th January /Wednesday 5th January, 9.00pm to 9.00 am
All water consumers are advised that nightly water supply restrictions will continue in order to replenish water levels in Council reservoirs for the next 5 nights.
Standpipes throughout the Mullingar Area have been withdrawn today, Tuesday due to the improvement in supply.
Last night and early this morning, we emailed our local Mullingar West councilors Robert Troy and Ken Glynn in addition to Westmeath Co. Co. The emails asked for help by postponing the shut-off times until 10pm in order to allow the commuting workers in our local area a chance to get home and to use mains-fed showers, cook, and wash before the water is switched off. These messages were followed up by more phone calls to the council today.
Update [06-Jan]: Robert Troy contacted me to say he talked to the council about the water. Thanks for that, Robert.
From Westmeath Co. Co.’s latest water supply update:
In order to restore reservoir levels & to ensure that all parts of the county have a water supply tomorrow, Thursday, the Council will implement a series of planned service shut offs to ALL WATER SUPPLIES throughout Co. Westmeath tonight [Tues 28th], Wednesday, & Thursday morning.
This service shut off is currently affecting Ashefield.
Several houses and whole streets are reporting no mains water still. Added to this problem, the thaw is resulting in leaking stop valves caused by frost damage. So far, Westmeath Co. Co. has been notified of leaking stop valves outside #120, Apt. 18, and #203.
Update [03-Jan]: A leak outside #119 was reported and repaired within the same day.
If you spot any others, contact the council at 044 9332000. They have a long list of reported leakages so it’s unknown when the leaks will be fixed. After reporting them to the council, please add any other leaking stop valve locations by commenting below so we can mark them off the ‘to-report’ list.
[Update : 29/12] All of the reported leaks within Ashefield appear to have been fixed.
Happy Christmas residents and visitors!
Some homes are reporting frozen water supplies unfortunately. Westmeath County Council’s latest advisory states:
Westmeath County Council is maintaining an uninterrupted water supply to all its customers, however due to the unprecedented cold spell many householders are experiencing problems due to frozen water pipes. No shut offs of water mains have taken place & water is not frozen in public water mains.
Please contact a plumber before attempting to defrost frozen pipes.
If your water supply has frozen you should
NB – Water from Standpipes should be boiled before consumption
Westmeath County Council has provided & installed approximately 38 standpipes located throughout the county to ensure that members of the public have access to water supplies.
The closest standpipe to us is Raithin – at the entrance to estate. If several houses are affected, let us know by commenting below or emailing info @ ashefield.com and we’ll ask the council to open the standpipe close to the entrance of the estate, which was used last year.
Hope you all have an enjoyable Christmas and we look forward to your input and news in the year ahead.
Late on Friday night/ early Saturday morning, the fire brigade and gardaí attended a house fire in Ashefield. The house was recently vacated by tenants so was unoccupied and empty at the time. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the cause of the fire may have been an electrical fault close to the front entrance, which appears to have caused extensive smoke damage throughout the building.
The gardaí are monitoring the house until it can be made safe.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing dense black smoke clouds from this fire; it serves as a stark reminder of the importance to install and regularly check that your smoke alarms are in working order. Learn more about how to keep your home and your family safe from fire.
