Independent councillor, Michael O’Brien, says he is very confident that public lighting will be provided along the urban stretch of the Greenway in Moate.
“The provision of public lighting along the Greenway from the old railway station to the Lake Road access point in Moate is something I’ve raised on numerous occasions at council meetings and with Transport Minister, Shane Ross. I think the addition of public lighting would make a huge difference to the Greenway in Moate as it would enable locals to utilise the Greenway safely at night and add to the overall attraction of this fantastic amenity,” said Cllr O’Brien.
“This urban stretch of the Greenway is 700 yards long and public lighting would cost in the region of €35,000. I spoke to Shane Ross during the Christmas break and he told me that following conversations with his Department officials they had certain difficulties with funding this proposal, mainly in light of the extensive cost-overrun of the project – from a €4m initial estimate to the actual funding paid by the Department ending up in the region of €8m.
“They also had concerns surrounding the fact that the council funded the urban section in Athlone, thus the expectation would be that they would fund the urban section in Moate.
“I’ve discussed this with Moate Railway Station Group and we’ve made contact with LEADER regarding funding, and I’ve asked the council to assist in funding this over the next couple of years. I’m confident that by working together with the various authorities, we’ll be in a position to deliver on this within the next 18 months,” concluded Cllr O’Brien.
