Ballina will get a €250,000 boost for RAPID prorgrammes following an annoucement this week by Minister for Community, Rural and Gaelacht affairs Éamon Ó Cuív. The funding is Ballina’s share in one-off funding announced for the five new towns which were given RAPID status this year. The towns will share in €1.25 million from the Dormant Accounts Fund. The funding will be drawn down over two years and will be used for stand alone projects such as playgrounds, improving disabled and community facilities, and enducation and environmental improvments.
Ballina Town Council Mayor Mary Kelly was appointed as the town council representative to the area implementation team for the RAPID programme which will be starting in Ballina. Earlier this year Ballina was included with four other towns around the country to be included in the RAPID programme. The programme is a Government initiative to target the 51 most disadvantaged communities in the country.
Mayor Kelly was proposed for the town council position on the implementation team by Independent Councillor Peter Clarke. Cllr Clarke told the meeting: “I know that Meara Kelly will be a very good representative for the council on this committee, she has shown down through the years to be very good at the sort of projects RAPID will be involved in, through her work in her own community over the years.” The RAPID programme aims to give communities an opportunity to develop projects and initiatives in their areas such as playgrounds, community centres, and sporting facilities, traffic calming measures, and enhancing housing estates.
There was cross party support for Mayor Kelly’s appointment on the implementation team.
