Now that we have elected our local representatives maybe it is time to ask the question - who is running our city? It is time to demand that our Borough and County Councillors step up to the plate and get Kilkenny back on track. The county spaceship seems to have taken control and this is not a good thing.
Our politicians seem to be powerless and more concerned with the seating arrangements in county hall. The executive has taken advantage of the debacle and dropped all responsibilities, relaxing in the comfort of the spaceship while public attention has drifted away from the real dilemmas facing Kilkenny.
The infamous Parade Project has come to a halt leaving a building site in the city centre and local businesses fighting for survival. What was considered a priority project is now crippling the local economy and hitting tourism during the peak season. Has common sense vanished? Why are the politicians sitting still and allowing our city engineers to display such a lack of regard for Kilkenny at a time when good planning, productivity, and common sense are needed most? One has to wonder why we voted at all? Can these guys really make a difference or does our fate lie in the laps of an executive who do not seem to care?
Those hard working people trying to do business next to The Parade building site will probably be forced to shut their doors. This is a disaster and their cries are falling on deaf ears. Will they ever see the wonderful work of art they were promised so long ago? Grassroots fears the worst. A beautiful castle overlooking a fantastic boulevard lined with vacant units and auctioneers’ signs with not a single tourist in sight could well be on the cards.
Speaking of tourists, they do not even have a place to go to the bathroom after their long haul to the Marble City! As they are dealing with the inconvenience of a full bladder, while trailing through an empty building site in a bid to reach the famous Kilkenny Castle they have heard so much about, they are probably asking themselves why they did not just spend an extra day in Kerry or Galway where tourists are actually appreciated.
The whole project started off on the wrong foot. The county spaceship could not even use local stone. Instead they imported an inferior product claiming the Kilkenny stone, of which we are famous for, was too slippy. Serious questions need to be asked here. The Parade is fast becoming a monument marking the closure of business and the death of what was once considered the cultural capital of Ireland.
Then there is the Canal Walk. It looks great. The skateboarders love it. You can sip a pint from the comfort of the Rivercourt Hotel while watching local teenagers grind the new imported seating on their skateboards. Maybe go for a pleasant stroll along the River Nore until you encounter a man made half pipe, some ramps, and 50 youths who think they are on the skate plaza in Barcelona. We cannot point the finger at them. They have nowhere else to practise their favourite sport. They were promised a skate park for years and despite unanimous political support and a chance to get government funding our executive has failed the youth of Kilkenny. Generations have passed and hundreds of young people have been disappointed with empty promises. Do us a favour guys, get the job done.
What about the housing list? Over 1,000 people screaming to be housed in one of the many boarded up vacant local authority homes and a 'go slow' policy has been adopted by the housing section. Where is the sense of urgency? Is it such a big ask to get those houses filled and give some local families who have fallen on hard times a break? The mind boggles.
There seems to be no problem with housing opposite Cillin Hill. One of the rare success stories of recent times, a state of the art centre that we can be proud of, and which now enjoys the sight of a neighbouring village of caravans that seems to have just appeared with no need for planning permission.
Members of the travelling community, not from Kilkenny, have taken over the main gateway to the city. More caravans, than both our halting sites put together, have made the Dublin Road their new home. It started off with one and then suddenly a whole fleet of caravans appeared. Do not get me wrong, Grassroots has a lot of respect for the travelling community but there are people living on the side of one of the busiest roads in the county and nobody seems to care. Where does it end?
The big news in recent weeks is that of the proposed Inner Relief Road. Compost is not impressed but the Green Mayor is more than happy to sit back and watch the mess unfold. He will soon get the opportunity to say I told you so. Maybe he will buy a new suit for the occasion.
The list is far too large to fit in the confines of this column. As businesses close their doors, families overwhelmed by avoidable pressures, and as Kilkenny slips further down the popularity ranks, we have to ask our politicians to stand up and be counted. Do not let the county spaceship take you on holidays to Mars.
