Construction of new Monksland public park moves a step closer

Construction of a major public recreational park in Monksland has moved a step closer with the advertising of a contract for the construction of the project.

The deadline for the receipt of tenders for engineering and construction works on the new park is tomorrow, Thursday, March 21. The estimated value of the contract is €750,000 and the duration is for a 12-month period.

The contract is for the construction of a new Public Park to include open soft and hard landscaped areas, paths, car parking, bio-diversity garden, playground and skatepark area. The scope will include “significant earthworks” and the provision of site utilities and services including drainage and public lighting at Monksland Business Park.

The contract also includes landscaping work for the playground on the site and the installation of playground equipment, including climbing apparatus; merry go rounds, swings and slides. Construction work on what is described in the tender as “multi-purpose sports facilities” also forms part of the contract, as well as fencing, railing and safety equipment.

The contract documents list a wide range of recreational play equipment to be installed in the new park including table tennis; a basketball hoop; balance beam; rotating plate; climbing stack; a hut combination; stepping logs of various sizes and a Swallow's Cradle Nest Special swing to ensure that the playground caters for children with disabilities.

The contract also makes provision for picnic tables, timber and concrete benches and an extensive planting scheme of shrubs, bulbs and hedging throughout the site.

The signage in the new Monksland Public Park will include totem signage at the entrance to the park and a nmber of aluminium 'Leave No Trace' signs at various locations within the park.

Topsoil-stripping work, building demolition, site preparation and clearance work along with landscaping works have also been listed as part of the public contract, which has been advertised by Roscommon County Council.

The overall size of the stakepark to be constructed as part of the overall public park project is 32.10m x 12.70m , while the tender documents also provide for an amphitheatre with tiered seating, a pergola with seats.

Plans for a recreational park in the rapidly-growing Monksland have been mooted for many years, but plans for the long-awaited project were not lodged with Roscommon County Council until November of last year. The plans were lodged under what is known as a Part 8 process, by which local authorities are permitted to consult on their own proposals.

At last month's meeting of the Athlone Municipal District of Roscommon County Council, members voted unanimously to approve the Part 8 planning process for the development, which is to be constructed on a brownfield site to the west of Monksland Business Park comprising some 7,275 sq metres. The land is described as being “an area of naturally regenerated scrub land” which is bordered to the north by residential gardens in the Ceathru na Gloch housing development.

A detailed 28-page report which was put before members at that meeting by the Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council, Shane Tiernan, concluded that the proposed park epresents an opportunity to “provide a sense of place and a much-needed community facility which can be enjoyed by both the existing and future resident population”.

In his recommendation to the elected representatives, the Chief Executive also stated that the park has been developed with the overarching aim of “realising the potential of this strategically important land in Monksland to play a more central role in everyday recreational and community life”.

Cllr John Naughten, who formally proposed the adoption of the Part 8 process for Monksland Public Park, described the proposed new facility as being “transformative” for the entire Monskland area and pointed out that, while there had been a lot of “significant employment” in the area over the past 15 to 20 years, the development of community facilities had “not kept pace” and this had been “an ongoing issue” for residents in the area.

Cllr John Keogh described Monksland Park as “a hugely important development” and said the growing population of the area had been “crying out for this type of amenity” for many years and would like to see more facilities coming on stream.

He said he was “particularly pleased” to note that the park will cater for people with all differing needs and will be fully accessible, and added that the proposed Innovation Hub for Monksland will be “just across the road” from the new park.