Annual General Meeting – Ashefield Residents Association

Ashefield Residents Association will hold their annual general meeting on Thursday 26 April, 2012 in The Newbury Hotel, Green Bridge, Mullingar at 8pm

Contributions from all residents in the estate are most welcome. The current list of items for discussion are:

  • Presentation of the 2011 accounts
  • Maintenance and remedial work plans for the coming year
  • Election of the new committee for 2012
  • Any other business

 

Notice regarding this meeting is being distributed to all houses in the estate.

Dear Resident,

Thanks for your support in 2011 and we hope that you will be as supportive in the coming year.

This is your residents association and your opinion and voice counts. The main agenda items as listed are not the only topics that may be address in the forthcoming AGM.  We invite suggestions for anything that you feel needs to be included in the agenda and any ideas that you might have to help improve the estate for all residents.

Ashefield has a website, e-mail address, Twitter account, and a Facebook page to help you keep up with to date and to contact us.

We encourage you to use these to stay in touch with both the residents association and residents. The committee comprises all unpaid volunteers – your neighbours, who are willing to spare some time.

Your contribution is very important. It falls back on us as a community to maintain and improve the common areas in the estate.

We realise that time is precious so therefore we appreciate all and any help you can give. This can involve calling on Tesco to collect abandoned shopping trolleys or picking up litter in your area.

We encourage you to contact us with your ideas, suggestions, and hope you can turn up to the AGM to meet other residents, give your opinion, and get involved.

 

Joe Gettings/Keith Nolan

Treasurer Ashefield Residents Association/website administrator

 
Ashefield

 

 

Minutes of the 2011 residents’ association AGM & record of accounts

Date/Time: April 07, 2011, 20:00

Note: these are draft minutes and may be updated

In Attendance:

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)

Agenda:

Meeting opening:

Meeting was opened by Ms. Margaret Kavanagh and all those in attendance were welcomed.

Role of the residents association:

The role of the Residents Association was discussed by Ms. Margaret Kavanagh.

Responsibilities of each resident:

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.

Annual contribution for upkeep-of green areas:

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.

Tenants/landlords responsibilities:

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.

Apartment block:

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.

Laneways/anti-social behaviour:

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.

Ashefield website

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/

Financial statement for 2010:

Ms. Margaret Kavanagh presented the financial statement for 2011 (see below).

Election of new committee:

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.

Closing of meeting:

The meeting was then concluded.

 

Record of Ashefield Residents’ Association accounts for year ending 2010

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.

Notes:

  1. Accounts statement as presented to new treasurer Mr. Joe Gettings on 08 April 2011.
  2. Cash in kitty had not been recently updated and was €120 on 08 April 2011. The possibility of opening a current account is currently being investigated with a view to removing the need to hold cash.

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.

  1. Introduction
  2. Why do we need a Residents Association
  3. Responsibilities of each resident
  4. Annual contribution for upkeep of green areas
  5. Tenants/Landlords Responsibilities
  6. Apartment Block
  7. Laneways
  8. Deterring street games and ensuring safety
  9. Ashefield Website
  10. Financial Statement for 2010
  11. Election of new committee
  12. 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.

Welcome – like to add to this site?

Welcome to the website for Ashefield Estate in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The aim is to have a one-stop information resource with up to date information regarding the residents’ committee, Ashefield-related in the newspapers, council issues, and any other information that will be of use or of interest to the residents of the estate.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue to add new information and handy resources. We’d really like to get some photographs of the estate for the site so please do email them to us. Most importantly, we welcome your ideas about what you would like to see on this website.

Contact us by either emailing info@165.227.235.101 or registering as a user and posting a comment.

This is a voluntary unfunded effort at the moment and is for all the residents of Ashefield.