ROADWORKS IN PLACE ON R672 DUNGARVAN TO CAPPOQUIN ROAD AT BALLINAMUCK ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 16th TO FACILITATE ROAD RESURFACING WORKS.
STOP/GO SYSTEM WITH CONVOY IN OPERATION.
EXPECT DELAYS.
PLEASE USE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES WHERE POSSIBLE.
Last week, Mayor of Waterford City and County Cllr. John O’Leary officially launched the Gum Litter Taskforce’s gum litter education campaign in Dungarvan, alongside members of Dungarvan Tidy Towns.
The Gum Litter Taskforce is an environmental initiative that was set up to develop and implement an awareness campaign to reduce gum litter in the most sustainable way. Since 2007, Ireland has achieved a 70% reduction in chewing gum litter. The study from the Gum Litter Taskforce, also shows that gum litter now accounts for only 8% of all litter compared with 2007, when the campaign was first launched. The 2019 campaign maintained an all-time high of 93% of people stating that they regard chewing gum as litter, up from 74% when the campaign first began 14 years ago, pointing to the attitudinal impact which the campaign has had.
The latest results of the National Litter Pollution Monitoring report showed the percentage of gum as a proportion of litter at 9.4%, down from 10.6% the previous year (2019). More than three in five (63%) people agree that the campaign is at least fairly likely to stop them dropping gum, the highest level seen in the current campaign. 48% of respondents claimed that they stopped dropping gum because they saw the Bin-It campaign, up from 41% in 2019 and 60% of people said the campaign has made them want to change the way they dispose of their gum.
Of the launch Mayor O’Leary said, “I am delighted to be attending the launch of the Gum Litter Taskforce campaign. The success of the Gum Litter Taskforce’s campaign to date is a testament of what can be achieved when local authorities and the community work together. We look forward to working alongside the Gum Litter Taskforce to ensure that our beautiful Déise remains Ireland’s Cleanest City”. Waterford was judged by IBAL to be Ireland’s Cleanest City in 2020 and 2021, with Dungarvan and other towns receiving awards in the 2021 Tidy Towns Special Awards.
Ella Ryan, Environmental Awareness Officer, Waterford City and Council spoke about the importance of community with a campaign such as this. “Incorrect disposal of gum not only destroys the physical appearance of our beautiful city and towns, but as it can only be removed by using special equipment, the removal can also damage our footpaths. The littering of gum is also extremely harmful to wildlife as are the chemicals which may need to be used to remove discarded gum. Through continuing to engage with people and educating them on the harm of gum litter, we can work to make gum litter on the streets of Ireland a problem of the past”.
As part of the Gum Litter Taskforce the ‘Bin It!’ education programme will travel across the country and deliver 60 performances a year to primary schools nationwide, with the ambition to visit 180 schools by 2025.
The ‘Bin It!’ school roadshow encourages students to responsibly dispose of litter, and particularly gum litter, through actor-led workshops. The latest cycle of the campaign will see the programme shift its focus from secondary school students to students in fifth and sixth class, and a return to in-person workshops, and kicks off in September.
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Waterford City and County Council is inviting members of the public to observe a draft copy of the Prevention and Control of Litter Bye-Laws 2022, and invites observations or submissions on same.
Some of the provisions made in the draft bye-laws include that the occupier of any premises used for the sale of confectionery, food, drink or nicotine containing products; a public market; must ensure an adequate number of litter bins are in place. The occupier will also be responsible for removing all litter within 100m. Bus and rail stations, airports or seaports; or a retail shopping centres, must also ensure an adequate number of litter bins are in place.
The occupier of any premises that is used as a licensed premises; a cinema, theatre, concert hall or leisure centre, an amusement arcade or an area for other indoor or outdoor sport or recreation; a bookmaking business; a hairdressers, barbers, or beauty salon; or a third level educational institution or college must also ensure that an adequate number of cigarette bins are provided.
The occupier of a premises using shopping trolleys shall install a trolley loss prevention device on each trolley to prevent the unauthorised taking of trolleys or to assist in the trolley’s recovery.
There will be fixed penalty notices issued to any persons found in contravention of the bye-laws.
A copy of the bye-laws is available for public inspection on the Waterford City and County Council website and also available for public inspection, free of charge, at the offices of Waterford City and County Council in Baileys New Street, Waterford, and in the Civic Offices, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, during normal office hours (daily from 9.30am until 4.00pm Monday to Friday, excluding Bank and Public Holidays) until September 15th 2022.
A copy of the Draft bye-laws will be given free of charge to any person applying for it at these offices.
The public and other interested parties are invited to submit observations regarding the proposed bye-laws from the date of the publication of this notice up to 4.00pm, September 23rd 2022 and any submissions or observations received during this period shall be considered by Waterford City and County Council.
Submissions or observations on the proposed bye-laws may be made by email to envsubmissions@waterfordcouncil.ie or in writing (and marked bye-laws submission) to the Environment Department, Waterford City and County Council, City Hall, The Mall, Waterford.
The bye-laws shall apply to the functional area of Waterford City and County Council.
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In 1958, the painting ‘View of Waterford’ by Thomas Ryan (Previous President Royal Hibernian Academy) was hung in the Council Chamber where it remained until last week when it was moved to the Waterford Gallery of Art and installed on Tuesday 9th August.
Painted in 1957, the artwork depicts the Redmond Bridge, opened in 1913, by Rohn Redmond, M.P. and made of ferroconcrete (a type of concrete reinforced with steel bars). It replaced the original timber bridge known locally as Timbertoes. However, it did not last as long as it’s predecessor as by 1981 a more structurally substantial bridge was proposed. It’s replacement, The Edmund Rice Bridge, was completed in 1986.
The painting by Ryan depicts a view of Waterford from a not so distant past but it feels vastly different to the city that it is today. From the winding road up to Mount Misery, dark brooding sky and the industrial nature of the bridge and buildings, the painting is fascinating and a fantastic portal into Waterford’s history and heritage.
The brass plate inscription reads:
Erected at Opening of 45th Annual Conference Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland held in this room, 16th/17th & 18th September 1958 Denis J.Fitzpatick, Mayor Liam Raftis, City Manager
Thomas Ryan was born in Limerick in 1929. He attended the School of Art there, and later the National College of Art in Dublin, where he studied under Sean Keating and Maurice MacGonigal.
He first exhibited at the RHA in 1957, became an associate member in 1968, and was president of the Academy from 1982 to 1993. As well as the RHA, Ryan has exhibited at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery (Dublin) and regularly at the Waterford Art Exhibition.
The painting is viewable as part of the Recent Works: Donations, Commissions, Acquisitions exhibition and will feature in the official opening of the gallery on Friday 23rd September. The artwork and exhibition are free to visit during gallery opening hours, Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm
Other artworks on show in the ‘Recent Works’ exhibition include paintings by: Letitia Marion Hamilton (RHA), Geraldine O’Brien, Harry Kernoff, Lillian Davidson (ARHA), Rebecca Shackleton, Frances Kelly (ARHA), Josephine Webb, Damaris Lysaght, Fr. Jack Hanlon, Tony Ryan, Anna Moore, Samuel McCloy and Patric Stevenson (PPRUA).
There is also a new wall mural of O’Connell Street in 1900 by local artist Denis Power.
The exhibition also features: recently commissioned poetry in partnership with the Waterford literary journal The Waxed Lemon; Waterford Cultural Quarter films celebrating the rich heritage of O’Connell Street; work in progress by SETU graduate and Waterford Collection of Art Graduate Award winner, Rhys Wallace; documentary short film on Una Sealy (RHA) whose painting ‘Portrait of Caoilfhionn Hanton, Waterford’ was commissioned by Waterford City and County Council and featured in the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) Annual Exhibition 2022 (this work will be shown in the upcoming WGOA exhibition, ‘Portraits: People & Place’ opening 8th September 2022).
Dates:
21st July – September 3rd, 2022
Launch and Private View, August 4th, 2022, 6pm,
Times: The gallery is open to the public Wednesday -Saturday, 10am-5pm – Free for all.
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This coming week is Heritage Week and we’re having a photo competition !
Over the past few years Waterford City & County Council have been working on our Medieval City Walls and Towers.
Last year, during the Public Consultation for Waterford’s Medieval Walls Interpretation Plan, people came back with their impressions and ideas for the walls.
This year we are working on a Medieval Walls and Towers Trail and also illuminating some of the walls. For Heritage Week, we would like you to take some photos.
This competition is open to professional and amateur photographers. You are welcome to submit up to a maximum of 5 photos and they can be of the Walls, Towers, features or activities along them, or even selfies. Photographers can submit existing or new photographs to this competition.
There are 2 categories:
The closing date is 26th of August and the winning photos will be posted on our social media. Any queries to rryall@waterfordcouncil.ie
A new artwork by Waterford artist Denis Power was unveiled this week as part of the galleries ‘Recent Works: Donations, Acquisitions, Commissions’ exhibition. The artwork was inspired by a series of photographs depicting the street in 1900 and includes a portrayal of the Waterford Gallery of Art with its now removed clock tower. The gallery was built in 1845 as a savings bank and also hosted the first ever art school in Waterford in 1950.
Power is mixed media artist who studied art at Waterford Institute of Technology (now SETU) under Tony Ryan. He takes his influence from his childhood memories, pop culture, and the environment. Power is a resident artist at GOMA, co-founder of the Rogue Gallery, and has been involved in various art institutes in the city including Waterford Healing Arts Trust, Greyfriars, and Waterford Gallery of Art.
Power notes: “After over a year of trial and error, lessons learned, stops and starts, sections redone and an ungodly battle with the very concept of perspective, it’s finally done! My Mum joked that it wouldn’t be finished in her lifetime, something she was heartbreakingly right about. I’d like to dedicate this piece to her.”
The mural and exhibition is free to visit during gallery opening hours, Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm
Other artworks on show in the ‘Recent Works’ exhibition include paintings by: Letitia Marion Hamilton (RHA), Geraldine O’Brien, Harry Kernoff, Lillian Davidson (ARHA), Rebecca Shackleton, Frances Kelly (ARHA), Josephine Webb, Damaris Lysaght, Fr. Jack Hanlon, Tony Ryan, Anna Moore, Samuel McCloy and Patric Stevenson (PPRUA).
The exhibition also features: recently commissioned poetry in partnership with the Waterford literary journal The Waxed Lemon; Waterford Cultural Quarter films celebrating the rich heritage of O’Connell Street; work in progress by SETU graduate and Waterford Collection of Art Graduate Award winner, Rhys Wallace; documentary short film on Una Sealy (RHA) whose painting ‘Portrait of Caoilfhionn Hanton, Waterford’ was commissioned by Waterford City and County Council and featured in theRoyal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) Annual Exhibition 2022 (this work will be shown in the upcoming WGOA exhibition, ‘Portraits: People & Place’ opening 8th September 2022).
Dates:
21st July – September 3rd, 2022
Launch and Private View, August 4th, 2022, 6pm,
Times: The gallery is open to the public Wednesday -Saturday, 10am-5pm – Free for all.
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A landowner was fined €2,000 with further costs of €1,170 in Waterford District Court on July 25th.
Waterford City and County Council took the case when inspectors discovered that the landowner had disposed of waste in an excavation on his land. Further excavations undertaken by the Council uncovered other waste buried on the land.
Judge Staunton commented that while the landowner appeared to be a law abiding man, “We are well past the point of burying rubbish in holes.”
The landowner pled guilty to the offence at the earliest opportunity and removed the waste for proper disposal.
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Closing this week – Assistant Staff Officer & Civil Technician positions. Deadline is 4pm Friday, 12th August, 2022.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA), is asking road users to exercise caution while using the roads as Met Eireann has issued a weather advisory for High Temperatures. Ireland will experience a hot spell developing from Wednesday and continuing through the rest of the week and the weekend. Daytime temperatures will widely reach the mid to high twenties and it will remain uncomfortably warm overnight too.
In High temperatures the RSA is advising road users, particularly drivers, to be aware of the dangers posed by ‘sun glare’. Sun glare can result in drivers being temporarily dazzled or blinded by the intensity and brightness of the sun.
With clear sunny conditions and high temperatures forecast over the next number of days, the RSA is advising drivers to:
– Reduce the risk from sun glare and of being dazzled by wearing sun glasses. Be aware of the dangers of sun glare when travelling east in the mornings and west later in the day.
– Be prepared and ensure you have adequate supplies of water, any delays to journeys could result in road users being stuck in traffic for a period time in hot conditions. Children and pets are particularly at risk during these hot spells of weather.
– Ensure your windscreen is clear of grease or grime inside and out. Make sure you have plenty of window washer fluid to clear flies/insects and excess dust from the road when driving.
– Watch out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists. Slow down and allow extra space when passing.
Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are advised to:
– Beware of the dangers that sun glare can cause, especially when crossing the road and at junctions.
– Follow current health messaging around the use of sun block when out walking and cycling.
The impact of high temperatures on roads means that road surface temperatures will rise significantly in the hot weather and surface dressed roads (“tar and chips”) will be prone to softening of the bitumen. This will lead to bitumen slicks occurring on more minor roads. Road users are advised to slow down and exercise caution when braking in such situations.
For advice on severe weather driving tips, please see severe weather advice on the RSA website or check out the RSA Facebook and Twitter pages.
Please also see our severe weather warning videos created in collaboration with Teresa Mannion here. See advice for driving in sun glare here.
A grant of up to a maximum of €30,000 will be available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence, including the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential heretofore.
This will be subject to upper limits for the types of work specified below having regard to a reasonable cost assessment by the local authority.
All queries in relation to the scheme to be sent to: vacanthomes@waterfordcouncil.ie
On Friday August 5th, Mayor of Waterford City and County Cllr. John O’Leary welcomed some of the participants of Sail Training Ireland’s 2022 Waterford Bursary Scheme to City Hall for a presentation of certificates.
The Waterford Bursary Scheme was established by Sail Training Ireland in 2016 in partnership with Port of Waterford, and Waterford City and County Council. The scheme provides access to the life changing experience of a Sail Training voyage for people aged 14 and above from Waterford and the surrounding regions. One of the ships which was used as a training vessel during the scheme, the Brian Boru, made a welcome return to its former home port on Friday when participants of the training programme docked after their time at sea.
Mayor O’Leary said, “I am pleased to welcome Sail Training Ireland here today to the historic Mayor’s Parlour for the certificate presentation for the 2022 Sail Training Ireland Waterford Bursary Scheme. This experience provides an excellent environment for personal and social development. It is not so much learning to sail as learning from sailing, the vessel, the sea and most importantly from yourself and others. I would like to thank all those involved particularly the sponsors Port of Waterford, and Waterford City & County Council. I also wish Sail Training Ireland and the Waterford Bursary scheme all the very best for the future.”
Daragh Sheridan, CEO of Sail Training Ireland added, “We are delighted to be honouring the achievements of the 22 amazing young people who make up the 2022 Sail Training Ireland Waterford Voyages. This is always a special moment for the trainees, who have returned from a short but intensive experience at sea with a changed view of life, a greater sense of purpose and a new perspective on their own capabilities. This opportunity would not be possible without the fantastic support of Port of Waterford and Waterford City and County Council.”
After the sinking of Asgard II in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France, on September 11th 2008, the Coiste an Asgard disbanded but many memories and fond affections remained towards the vessel. And so, it was upon this spirit that Sail Training Ireland was formed in February 2011 as a not-for-profit company by former members of the Coiste an Asgard.
Under the guidance of the professional crew and youth leaders, trainees from different backgrounds and abilities are involved in operating every part of the vessel during voyages that generally last from 5 to 15 days and on vessels that may have from 10 to 50 or more people on board. Trainees take part in sailing voyages at sea on tall ships and large yachts during which they become part of the working crew.
Alongside the Mayor presenting were Daragh Sheridan, CEO of Sail Training Ireland, and Seamus McLoughlin, Chairman and one of the founders of Sail Training Ireland. Also in attendance were Grace O’Sullivan MEP, Cllr. Eddie Mulligan, Lieutenant Commander Jamie Cotter of the Irish Naval Service, and Frank Ronan of the Port of Waterford.
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Closing this week – Assistant Staff Officer & Civil Technician positions. Deadline is 4pm Friday, 12th August, 2022.
