In Reply to: re: what infrastructure does the town need right now? posted by Ado on March 16, 2010 at 13:19:52:

Eyre Sq redevelopment in Galway was not done by a Galway company.

Market Sq design and development was not done by a local company.

New bridge and road over the Castlebar river is not being done by a local company.

Previous bridge over the river was not done by a local company.

Various water schemes in Mayo were not done by local companies.

Installation of water meters was not done be a local company.

No public money has been spent on this project yet so it's not wastage by any means.

So if you want to get angry, get angry with the local officials and contact the elected members of the town council. They've already outlined the capital projects that're up for investment (see link below - 'New Civic Offices' & purchasing the 'Military Barracks', makes the potential outlay for a skate park look kinda small really).

Can nobody see the writing on the wall? Yes I can and most of it was carried out by disaffected youth with spray cans and no amenities to occupy their time.

It's not all about FDI, it's not all about profit, sometimes you're better off investing in a community by making it a better place to live by the provision of more amenities. There's plenty of other non-profit institutions in the town receiving grants and aid from the public purse and the idea of an organised skate park should be no more or less a bad idea than any of the others.

The skaters get my support (as do a great many other groups in this town) and if they call to my house or offer to pack my bags in Tesco's I'll put my hand in my pocket and give them a donation because unlike the whiners on this board they've actually got up of their rears and have tried to do something about a cause that they are passionate about.

Good luck to them, I hope the get just reward for their efforts.

• Investment leaves Castlebar better able to cope with recession - Town Manager