Ashbourne Adult Learning Centre planned for September 2010 - Wallace

Mary Wallace TD has over the past 12 months expressed very serious concern about the fact that there remains vacant Local Government offices in Ashbourne funded by the Irish taxpayer while Meath County Council continue to rent offices from the private sector in Navan.

Deputy Wallace stated “This made absolutely no sense to me in the present financial circumstances that we continue to fund renting accommodation from the private sector while we have high class accommodation in the County funded by the taxpayer lying idle”.

Meath County Council has this week responded to Deputy Wallace concerns with confirmation that plans are now well advanced in the process of developing the Ashbourne Civic Offices/Library as an Adult Learning Centre via a partnership arrangement with FAS and the Library Services.

The County Manager has also confirmed to Deputy Wallace that additional facilities for community groups will be identified once the space and IT requirements of the Library Service and FAS are catered for in the Ashbourne Offices.

The development of the Adult Learning Centre will involve alterations to the internal layout of the offices with connections to the Ashbourne Library at first floor level.

Two very positive meetings have been held between MCC and FAS officials over the last three to four weeks and the last meeting was facilitated by an architect. A preliminary report from the architect is expected at the end of this week which will identify modifications and associated costs. Once revised layouts are agreed it will then be necessary to carry out the alterations and to put in places an interagency agreement for the operation and maintenance of the centre.

“I am delighted with the plans for these high quality government offices in Ashbourne and the Adult Learning Centre when fully developed will provide improved interagency public service facilities to Ashbourne citizens”.

“These developments are important” said the Ashbourne TD “as we are determined in Ashbourne to look ahead positively and my substantial complaint with Meath County Council will be resolved with the honouring of this commitment in September of this year.”

“As the TD elected by the people of Ashbourne to represent the people of Ashbourne i.e. the 2nd largest town in the County I would have been neglectful in my duties if I did not continue to pursue this issue over the past year. I was more than annoyed with Meath County Council for allowing these offices to virtually close to the public and I was simply not in a position to tolerate the neglect and waste of such a fine facility in our town.” Deputy Wallace concluded.

It is envisaged that the proposed centre will be operational in September 2010 subject to concluding agreements. FAS are fully committed to the project.

Ends