"Huge Hotel Investments". runs a story in The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Another major hotel is in the pipeline for Castlebar, the county's growth centre. A company operating under the name of Harlequin Development Limited is seeking planning permission from the local Urban Council for a 66-bedroom hotel at the rear of the Travellers Friend Hotel in the town. Harlequin Developments Limited is a firm headed by well-known local hotelier, Mr. Pat Jennings. He last night confirmed that he will be leasing the building to a large hotel operation when it is completed. Mr. Jennings explained the project was designed along the lines of successful Jury's Inn style hotels. Also included in a development estimated to cost in excess of £7m. is a multi-storey carpark, consisting of 300 spaces. A significant amount of retail space is also included in the plan, although this will not involve the provision of small shops. It has also been learned that a planning application for a major extension to the Travellers Friend Hotel itself will be submitted to the Council over the coming weeks. This will complete building on the site with an overall investment in the region of £15m.
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"New Hospital Facility Ready to Open". The Connaught Telegraph this week.
New facilities which are currently being put in place as part of the £22m. phase two development at Mayo General Hospital, will be completed and ready for opening later this month. It will include the new accident and emergency unit, which will completely revolutionise services at the centre. The facility, which will be equipped to treat twelve patients at the one time, will bring emergency services at the Castlebar Hospital right up to the 21st. century. In the old wing, there is only room for five patients at any one time. Other new departments opening in the coming weeks include administration, maternity, female medical and surgical wards,a new central sterile supplies department and a clinical waste facility. Mr. Noel Brett, the hospitals general manager, said a major transformation in upgrading hospital services was taking place. He said: "I think the changes from what had become known as the casualty department to the new accident and emergency unit are arguably the most dramatic of all. We are moving from draconian conditions to what can only be described as state of the art. I believe any hospital in the world would be proud of the new facilities which Mayo General Hospital will have in place by the end of August." The days of long queues of patients waiting for accident and emergency treatment will be gone forever.
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"Garda warning on use of taxi-signs". The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Gardai have reminded those who were successful recently in obtaining new taxi-licences in Castlebar that they aren't entitled to display the taxi-signs on their vehicles yet. The use of the signs is illegal until taxi-licences come into force on August 20th, a Garda spokesman said yesterday (Tuesday). A number of drivers who were displaying the signs over the past week were told by a PSV Inspector to take them down. "Taxi drivers are not entitled to display the new signs yet", the Garda spokesman said. "Anybody disobeying the rules risks losing their licence", the spokesman added.
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"Disappointing Support from Public for Castlebar Clean Up". is one of the articles in the The Mayo News this week.
The Chairman of The Castlebar Tidy Towns Committee has called on locals to offer more support to the clean-up initiatives which his committee are currently undertaking. Mr. Liam Durkin, who was speaking at the meeting of the committee last week, said the turnout for the weekly clean-up evenings was "very small and disappointing" "Twenty-five Americans students who were staying in Castlebar came out and joined in the clean-up. It is embarrassing that a group of visitors were interested in doing some positive work for the community when many of the residents do not show any interest in the regular clean-ups. Mr Durkin said the Monday clean-ups are expected to resume in August for two or three weeks.
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"Gardai set for crackdown on underage drinking". The Mayo News.
As publicans in Mayo prepare for a major Garda crackdown on underage drinking, young people have been advised to apply for I.D. cards under the recently introduced National Age Card Scheme. The latest Garda crackdown comes only weeks after the enactment of the Government's Intoxicating Liquor Bill, which contains tough new legislation aimed at curbing underage drinking. Under the new legislation, a District Court Judge can order the closure of a licensed premises for a period of between 7 and 30 days if the licencee is found guilty of selling alcohol to underage persons. During the period of closure, the licensee must continue to pay staff members, and must also place a notice on the exterior of his/her premises outlining the reason for the temporary closure. Given the severity of these penalties, Garda are confident that the new legislation will force vintners to operate a rigorous I.D. card system on their premises. It is for this reason that Gardai in West Mayo have advised young people to apply to their Garda Station for a National Age Card.
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"Cape Cod Walk 2000 raises over £61,000 for Mayo/Roscommon Hospice". The Mayo News this week.
The Cape Cod Walk was a wonderful success again this year with twenty walkers participating in the event. The walkers departed for Cape Cod from Shannon and their walk was a fund-raising venture for Mayo/Roscommon Hospice. Their stay in Cape Cod was spent at the Irish Village Hotel in West Yarmouth, where they experienced the wonderful hospitality of the proprietors Jack and Eileen Hynes. The 100k walk took place over five days. The walks averaged twelve miles a day taking in West Dennis, Sagamore Bridge, Hyannis, Provincetown and a trip to Nantucket Island. All of the walkers had raised a minimum of £3,000 in order to participate in the walk. The costs for the Flights and transport were covered by sponsorship. The hotel accommodation and transport were covered by dollars raised in the U.S. Funds for the walk are still coming in and final figure will be in excess of £61,000.
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"Appeal for investors to back Castlebar's multi-storey carpark". The Western People this week.
An appeal has gone out to investors in Castlebar to come to the rescue of plans to develop a multi-storey car-park in a central location at the rear of Main Street. Leading the drive for car parking facilities in the area which would off-set the drift away from the town's central shopping area is the Concerned Traders Association, led by spokesman Oliver Kelleher. The Concerned Traders have held a number of meetings with the local Urban District Council, and have secured a commitment to the construction of a new road, from Barrack Bridge to Castle St carpark, the preferred location for the multi-storey development. The plan is to provide 400 car parking spaces, which would add to the two hundred already existing in the area. They have also negotiated with business people on Main Street with a view to securing commitments for development of their properties which would front on to the new car park development. According to Oliver Kelleher, all of the necessary groundwork has been done and the UDC is "on-side". The problem is to secure a commitment for the development or for developers to financially back the project.
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Rail Strike- "Holding Mayo to Ransom". The Western People this Tuesday.
The Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr. Annie May Reape, has appealed for an immediate lifting of pickets in the rail dispute and urgent talks to redress the legitimate grievances of drivers. In a statement issued at the weekend, Cllr. Reape pointed out that the strike was having a devastating effect on Mayo's tourism and the economy generally. Mayo and the north-west was suffering disproportionately because of the action by the train drivers. She said she sympathised with people who felt that they had a genuine grievance in terms of their pay and conditions of work. "I especially understand the pain being suffered by the wives and families of the striking train drivers". They have been carrying a very heavy burden in terms of the public opposition, and indeed outrage at this action, which is having such a terrible effect here in Mayo", said Cllr. Reape.
Gas Advisors say "No" to Mayo Gas Benefits - 'Corick Gas Powered Station also Ruled Out. The Western People this week.
A top level report presented to the government in the past week has ruled out the possibility that towns in Mayo will benefit from the Corrib gas field and has knocked on the head the proposal to use gas to replace the turf fired power station in Bellacorick. The ESB has decided to decommission the Bellacorick power station in 2004, with the loss of three hundred jobs.This will further undermine Mayo's ability to attract industry to the county.
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