'Fresh eyes' needed to plan future upgrade of Burgess Park

Local councillors have called for design consultants to be brought in to plan for an upgrade of Athlone's flagship public park in the years ahead.

The need for "a fresh look" at the future of Burgess Park was raised by Cllr Aengus O'Rourke during the July meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District.

His motion was unanimously supported by the other councillors, with Cllr Louise Heavin saying she believed there was potential to extend the park to three times its current size.

Cllr O'Rourke said it was his understanding that "big sums of money" had been set aside a number of years ago for potential projects mentioned in the Athlone Waterfront Study (2010), and some of this money could be used for work on improving Burgess Park.

Council management agreed there was a need for the park to be improved, but said any major work there should be put on hold for the time being as there would be "disruption in Burgess Park over the next 3 to 4 years from works associated with both the Flood Alleviation Scheme and the Main Drainage Scheme."

That time should be used wisely, in order to devise a plan in place for the park's future, Cllr O'Rourke responded.

He said there was a need for the park to be enhanced and modernised in a way that doesn't detract from its natural assets.

"When you visit cities around the world, and you visit their premium park locations, there is something special about them," he commented.

"That's not to say there isn't something special about Burgess Park, of course there is. We're very lucky to have a riverside park like it. But I just think we could do a bit better."

He said he would like to see a number of additions to the park, such as "a performance area of some sort, design seating, water features, WiFi zones and interesting coloured pathways.

"We need a complete upgrade of bins that may include recycling and composting options. The children's playground at the top of the park requires refurbishment. There's no doubt about that - it's been sticking out like a sore thumb for some time."

He said he wasn't "suggesting that we bring in the diggers and completely dig out Burgess Park," but rather he wanted to get "a fresh pair of eyes" to look at it and see "how we could enhance it for the public and that outdoor experience."

Cllr Heavin said she fully supported the motion and would "go further" than just calling for refurbishments.

"I would like to see Burgess Park expanded considerably. I think a town like Athlone should be looking at a Burgess Park that's three times the size, incorporating parts of the wetlands and introducing an element of heritage like they've done so well in Dún na Sí (in Moate)."

She said she fully agreed with the calls for an overhaul of the playground in Burgess Park. "When you look at other playgrounds in the town parks of Mullingar and Tullamore, Athlone really isn't a patch on them. We should be striving to do a lot better," said Cllr Heavin.

Cllr John Dolan agreed that now was the time for a plan to be drawn up for the park.

"As the old saying goes, if we fail to plan we plan to fail," he said. "We were talking about Dún na Sí earlier, and there's no reason why we shouldn't aspire to have something like that in Athlone."

Cllr Frankie Keena described Burgess Park as a "beautiful" and "well-maintained" facility but said if money was available to enhance it then it should be utilised.

One of the additions Cllr Keena said he'd like to see would be up-to-date information boards detailing the layout of the park and the wildlife or biodiversity in the area.

District Manager Jackie Finney concluded the discussion by saying council management was aware that Burgess Park had "huge potential" for further development.

"We agree with everything that's been said, and we have been discussing it ourselves. It's a fabulous location for a park, and it has huge potential.

"The fact that it is going to be disrupted over the next while is, on one hand, unfortunate, but on the other hand it gives time to look at it and perhaps to put fresh eyes on it and get professionals to look at its potential, and where it can go."