"Castlebar Postal stoppage to highlight antiquated facilities" runs a story in The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Thirty-five Postal workers in Castlebar are staging a one-hour stoppage this (Wednesday) morning in an effort to highlight grievances over their existing accommodation, which was built almost one hundred years ago. Despite repeated assurances from the General Post Office that the town's postal facilities would be upgraded by way of a new retail outlet and industry sorting office, no real progress has been made to make either a reality. The postal staff, clerks, sorters, postal delivery personnel are implementing a work stoppage from 9.00 to 10.00am today. The stoppage is to highlight the inadequate facilities more so than to inconvenience the public. The postal workers are members of Communications and Workers Union. They have already implemented a very far reaching revision of work designed to improve the service to business and the public in general. Local Dail Deputy Enda Kenny has protested over the situation. He said: "I have long been an advocate of change for Castlebar's Post Office. The current building is on a hill, at a busy junction with traffic lights and is totally inadequate for the movement of large vans and trucks. "Promises have been made that a new retail unit would be provided together with a new industrial unit for parcels and mail sorting. "Some indication has been received that the retail unit is on the way, but the letter post section of An Post have so far not stated what their requirements actually are."
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Clampdown on indiscriminate parking at hospital The Connaught Telegraph this week.
The general manager of Mayo General Hospital is demanding an end to indiscriminate parking within the hospital grounds in Castlebar. Mr Noel Brett said that serious problems were being encountered by staff at the centre on a daily basis due to car owners parking their vehicles in prohibited places. Now, with an extensive new carpark having been put in place at the facility, Mr. Brett said that there was no excuse for what is happening. Said Mr. Brett: "I have observed situations where victims of heart attacks and strokes have had to be carried into the hospital because the entrances were blocked by people parking their cars where they should not park them. This is totally unacceptable and it cannot be tolerated any longer". Newly appointed security staff at the hospital could be authorised to tow away illegally parked vehicles if the problem continues. "There is a fine new carpark where the new front entrance is being erected. There is a nominal charge of 50p and there is no reason why the public should not use it", he added. It is understood that those attending Sunday Mass at St. Mary's Chapel will be told of the importance of observing the strict new parking regulations at the hospital. The entrance to the hospital's new accident and emergency unit is within close proximity of the hospital, and it cannot be blocked under any circumstances. Meanwhile, the £30m. phase two development of the hospital will be completed by the end of next year.
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Castlebar Chamber President warns of "cowboy web design" companies The Connaught Telegraph this week.
Regina McGarrigle, President of Castlebar Chamber of Commerce, has expressed grave concerns about the plethora of would-be 'web-designers' out there who she claims are actually doing more harm than good.
"There is naturally a great deal of interest in e-commerce among the business community", she says. "Most businesses are anxious to develop a web strategy and go on line. However, since this is largely uncharted territory, people are prey to enthusiastic but inexperienced individuals who, on the surface, seem to be the answer to their prayers.
Otherwise-astute business people invest in a website designed by these so-called 'experts' and expect things to happen and then are disappointed when they get no results", Ms McGarrigle commented.
Ms. Maria Quinn, Executive Director of Castlebar Chamber of Commerce is also concerned "Castlebar Chamber asks the business community to give a lot of thought to a web presence or an e-commerce venture. Treat it with the same amount of thought you would put into opening a second shop or office", she says.
"No one knows everything about e-commerce. We have developed a number of guidelines that we hope will help businesses in selecting their choice of web designer", adds Regina McGarrigle.
"Examine the website of the design company offering the service.
Is it visually presentable or is it loud, flashy and brash? - if this is how they choose to present themselves they will do the same for you. Some designers delight in using input boxes, opening new browser windows or background music. The first-time visitor MAY be impressed. However, after a few more visits, the viewer will just be annoyed.
Do they use graphics correctly? - not too big and with alternative text. Is it easy to navigate? A site that is difficult to navigate is a definite turnoff, regardless of how visually appealing it might appear to be or how good the product or service on offer is.
Are the spellings and grammar correct? Nothing detracts more from the integrity of a company than a poorly written website full of mis-spellings.
Do all the links work? If they have not taken enough care with the links in their own website do you think that they will for you?
Does the sales person tell you that the 'technical people deal with all that' in answer to your queries? If so insist on talking to the 'technical' person.
Ask them for a written proposal for the website they wish to design for you. Any reputable company will discuss your requirements at length in the development of an Internet strategy for your business. Most are willing to provide a short initial consultation at no cost".
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Tourism Standstill in Mayo is one of the articles in the The Mayo News this week.
With the 2000 tourist season now on the wane, people involved in the industry throughout Mayo say the best that can be said for it is that it went within striking distance of last year's figures, but certainly did not exceed them. "We're at a standstill here in Mayo. We are working at growing the numbers from one year to the next, but each year it's costing us more and more money to bring the same number of visitors in" said one disgruntled guest-house owner. She said the rail dispute had certainly impacted adversely on visitor numbers and the "ongoing gross under-utilisation of Knock Airport as an access route into the country is referred to by all sectors of the industry in Mayo." While numbers are, at best, on a par with last year, reports of the season to date suggest that spending is up and this has been confirmed by a number of retail outlets in places like Westport, Ballinrobe / Cong, Ballina and Castlebar.
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East Mayo super city "not appropriate" The Mayo News.
The Council for the West, headed up by Ms. Marian Harkin, has described as "not appropriate" a proposal to develop a new city in the West in the East Mayo / West Roscommon region. The proposal has been mooted by Mr. William A. Thomas, a Galway-based businessman and would have involved building a city with an eventual population of about 250,000 in a 30 square mile area straddling East Mayo and West Roscommon. Central to the plan was the ongoing development of Knock airport, five miles from Charlestown. The plan, seen as innovative and revolutionary in some quarters, has, however, been given the thumbs down by the Council for the West. Said Marian Harkin: "Our policy has been and will continue to be geared towards the spread of development within the region. The new city proposal would run counter to our campaign for integrated and balanced development across the West region." She Said the West of Ireland was over 75 per cent rural and her Council believed that building another city was simply trying to impose urban solutions on rural problems.
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Iarnród Éireann stand over Westport "intimidation" claims The Mayo News this week.
Iarnród Éireann officials have said that they are standing over their allegations of last week that ILDA train drivers forced the suspension of services into Westport by "intimidating" colleagues at Westport Station. The daily train services into Castlebar and Westport were indefinitely suspended last Wednesday, just twenty-four hours after they had resumed for the first time in seven weeks. The suspension of these services has forced Iarnród Éireann to provide substitute bus services from Claremorris to Westport and Castlebar. The usual service into Ballina has not been affected by the alleged "intimidation". Mr. Myles Mc Hugh, Business Development Officer, Iarnród Éireann, said that his company were still standing over their claim that drivers were intimidated at Westport Station.
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Ring fencing on coastal erosion as Mayo loses ground The Western People this week.
Mayo Deputy Michael Ring is on a collision course with the government over the issue of resources for the protection of coastal areas. Despite the fact that Mayo suffers more from erosion than any other county, because of high seas and prevailing winds on the north west coast, the county has failed to secure recognised terms of allocations for protection works. "I was astounded to see that a county the size of Louth, which has only about 1/20 of the coastline that Mayo has, received almost as much for coastal protection works this year", said Deputy Ring. "Mayo has the longest and most exposed coastline in the country", stated Deputy Ring. "On any criteria of fairness and equality the county should be among those receiving the highest allocations for coastal protection works".
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Hat factory celebrates 60th birthday The Western People this Tuesday.
Plans are in train by business people and employees of premises of the former Hat Factory at Newport Road, to celebrate the 60th. anniversary of the commencement of work in the factory. Under the Manager, Mr. Scholmolka, the factory boiler was bought into commission on August 30th 1940. And to celebrate the occasion, the factory siren which was sounded to call people to work, was set off in celebration of the occasion. While the siren has long since sounded its final blast, it is hoped to simulate the event by getting the Mayo County Council Steam roller onto the site and letting off the noise of its siren. According to Ernie Sweeney who has been appointed "guardian" of the Hat Factory letters and documents, the people now working in the former factory are anxious that an event which was of such significance in the life of Castlebar should not pass unrecognised. "They plan to have a party and are arranging a number of events to mark the occasion on Friday week, August 25th.", he said. Mr. Sweeney said the arrival of the Hat Factory in Castlebar was a most significant event in the life of the town bringing work for many people at a time when Europe was in the throes of its savage war. The design of the Hat Factory was itself unique in that it was the first time in Ireland that a factory was built to metric measurements. The construction of the factory attracted to Castlebar 64 French-speaking Jews from Czechoslovakia, while a number of young men and women from Castlebar were sent to Belgium for training in the use of machines and the manufacture of hats.
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Western Development Commission puts the West at the heart of Government decision-making The Western People this week.
The age-old sense of isolation of the West of Ireland from Government decision-making in Dublin is now being reversed in dramatic fashion by the Western Development Commission (W.D.C.). "The W.D.C. is bringing the Western Region into the heart of Government decision-making processes through bodies like the Forum of Western Ministers and the National Liaison Network", according to Chairperson, Sean Tighe. Mr. Tighe, who was speaking on the occasion of the publication of the Commission's first Annual Review (covering its activities last year), stressed the importance of this new departure in national policy making, and paid tribute to Minister Noel Davoren (who has Ministerial charge of the W.D.C.) and the Government for facilitating it. The review was published yesterday (Monday). The forum of Western Ministers comprises the Cabinet and Junior Ministers from the seven WDC counties. They meet regularly with the WDC and with senior executives of the WDC to discuss Government policies affecting the Western region and to consider a range of proposals from the WDC for the social and economic development of the region. "These meetings represent a break with the old tradition of clientism and the adoption of a new form of brokerage whereby the region has access to a strategically driven body which articulates its concern to senior Government officials and Ministers", explained Mr. Tighe.
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