Of the many interesting facts disclosed regarding continuing progress in the development of Castlebar town this week, possibly the main highlight was the revelation that real-life action plans and a firm vision for the future can hugely determine funding streams.
In this light, Castlebar town manager Seamus Granahan was held up as an example by members of Castlebar Chamber at their Open Forum event this week, when it was noted that he, in conjunction with town council staff, management and councillors, deserved congratulations for taking action on plans – even in cases where full funding for the projects in question had not been secured.
Explaining that experience had taught the council that further funding often followed initial funding once work on actual projects commenced, Mr Granahan noted that the trigger for investors was that “they realise then we are serious about what we are planning to do”. Backing up this premise, the town manager was able to reveal that funding of just under €1 million had been secured to develop the Lough Lannagh project, on the strength of promised tie-ins with the Four Day Walks festival and the Westport Greenway while, to the east of the town, plans are afoot to develop a cycle way through Turlough and on to Ballina. Additional funding for the development of the crucial Mountain View link road from the hospital over to the Newport Road had also been secured following a matching funds pitch, while plans are proceeding to CPO further properties around the town in order to have additional schemes 'shovel-ready' in a bid to attract future funding.
Adapting such a forward-planning vision-led approach to resolving problems is no doubt a good lesson many of us could apply to aspects of our own lives in a bid to make personal progress. Simply put, the motto here could easily be translated to mean ‘Putting your money where your mouth is.’
Clearly, in terms of the business world, this is one message that many successful entrepreneurs readily sign up to, on the basis that in order to keep your name out there, you must keep putting your name out there. While such marketing may seem costly at the start, over time, once established as a recognisable ‘go to’ brand, this investment in the future works mainly to recoup greater funds back into the business on an ongoing basis.
It is interesting to discover that Castlebar town council's vision for the development of the county town centres around certain key factors, such as applying for and drawing down funding on any schemes that may help enhance or develop the town.
An awareness of such grants is clearly crucial in the first instance, and it is good to note that Castlebar Town Council seems to have got in on the act of applying to the EU for the many millions of euros still readily available in grant-aid schemes while also keeping on track with those offered by state and semi-State bodies.
Especially noteworthy in the plans for Castlebar is the development of Smarter Travel initiatives throughout the town, designed to link strategic areas together and promote greater throughflow along cycle/pedestrian lanes and, notwithstanding recessionary times, a continuing strategy to purchase strategic sites for public use in the future.
Such an amount of plans for Mayo’s county town with its ‘political edge’ as home to Taoiseach Enda Kenny, can only work to instil greater confidence in those in business here and should serve to convince anyone in doubt about the future of Castlebar that – not only will it remain one of the best shopping destinations in the west – if is also firmly on track to claiming its own major stake in the lucrative tourism industry now burgeoning throughout the west of Ireland.
