Councillor seeks young people’s input on future of Monksland area

Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council Cllr John Keogh is seeking feedback from young people between the ages of 16-21 as to what recreational facilities they would like to see developed in the Monksland/Bealnamulla area.

Cllr Keogh said that he would like to hear from young people as “they are the ones who know what they're looking for.” Suggestions to date from local residents have called for a skate park, a basketball court and playground activities for teenagers such as climbing frames.

The council has allocated funding of €1.5million for the design stage for a community hub in Monksland, which Cllr Keogh said “would be a centre for Monksland” where other activities could take place such as music and gymnastics.

The Bealnamulla man added that the council has to apply for capital funding for this and that the project will take between three to five years to deliver.

Cllr Keogh said that the local young people have been raising issues that were on the council's radar previously. “The skateboarding park was one of the things that we had explored previously and we secured funding because of issues that had arisen because of Covid,” said the Fianna Fáil councillor. However, due to issues relating to the timescale of the project, it wasn't successful at that time.

“We have to go back and restrategise in relation to it. We have a better option on the table now and that will go ahead.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Fianna Fáil councillor met with young skateboarders and biking enthusiasts at Athlone Regional Sports Centre to point out the deficiencies they felt within the facilities there.

“They were anxious that we wouldn't repeat the type of facilities down there. They highlighted issues that were of concern today. When you have young people coming to you, saying 'this isn't right' we have to pay attention to what they're saying to make sure that any project developments taking place try and meet that specific need.”

Cllr Keogh was also recently contacted about setting up a youth cafe locally. He said that was something that the council “had previously applied for funding (for) quite a number of years ago” but the application was unsuccessful.

The newly-elected Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council will place a strong focus on tourism as part of his work during his term.

Cllr Keogh hopes to work on a number of tourism projects that he would like to see developed. “I've been confident that my own view and that of my council colleagues as well, our priorities would align I would think with regards to the promotion of the county.”

He highlighted Lough Key Forest Park, Bay Sports, the Hodson Bay Hotel and the Suck Valley Way as great tourist attractions for the Roscommon locality. He said the council needs to ensure it has the right strategies to get people in and that hopefully they will have the full support of Fáilte Ireland and Waterways Ireland.

Housing is another big issue that the Cathaoirleach will be tackling along with delays in the delivery of social housing.

Cllr Keogh said that the biodiversity crisis is “one of the pillars on which policy will be driven going forward.

“That's something that has to be done in collaboration, consultation, and cooperation with the other stakeholders,” said the Cathaoirleach. He added that he will be corresponding with the Minister for Agriculture to ensure that farmers adapt to the policies and are incentivised to do so.

Anyone who wishes to contact Cllr Keogh in relation to the public survey concerned with the development of the Monksland/Bealnamulla area should message him directly on Facebook.