Connacht Tribune
Calls for old fire station to be turned into enterprise centre
As work commenced on the construction of a new fire station on a greenfield site in Tuam, questions were being asked as to what will happen the existing building when it becomes vacant.
There have now been suggestions that it be transformed into a much needed enterprise centre which could provide a base for smaller businesses.
And the fact that the building is located close to the town centre, it will add to its attractiveness from a commercial or business point of view. It is said to have a lot of potential.
Fears have been expressed that once Tuam Fire Station moves location, the old building will become redundant like some other Council-owned properties in the town and will fall into a state of dilapidation.
But Galway East TD Sean Canney believes that the old fire station can be utilised as an enterprise centre which could provide opportunities for start-up businesses.
He told The Connacht Tribune that he had been in touch with officials of Galway County Council to ensure that the property was not left vacant for any period of time.
As it stands, the Town Hall in the centre of Tuam is largely unoccupied and the same is the case with the old courthouse on the Dublin Road in Tuam – both of which are also owned by Galway County Council.
The old library in Tuam, which has now been leased to the Department of Social Protection, lay idle for almost ten years and this too is a building that is owned by the local authority. There have been suggestions that the Council sell their properties as the Council regularly say that they are strapped for cash.
But Deputy Canney believes that there is potential for the existing fire station building when it becomes vacant and will be working with a number of agencies in this regard. He will also be liaising with Galway County Council.
There had been suggestions that the fire station would accommodate arts space in the town but this had also been suggested with regard to the old library but was never made available by Galway County Council because of public liability insurance concerns.
Deputy Canney said that he had concerns with regard to the volume of local authority-owned properties in the county and would be asking that they be either utilised or disposed of.
Meanwhile, Deputy Canney has welcomed progress on the new €2 million Tuam Fire Station. The contract was signed with Carey Contractors, Galway and work began on the site on the Milltown Road in Tuam last week.
He said that the site is located on the N17 and the investment will provide a new modern facility for the emergency fire services serving Tuam and North Galway.
It is expected that the new fire station in Tuam will be completed in the autumn of next year and the Independent TD said that it would be a great boost to the area.
Deputy Canney explained that there will also be training facilities provided for new members of the fire service in Tuam and that its location would improve response times to emergency situations.
He described it as a ‘one stop shop’ for those who were interested in becoming part of the fire service in Tuam. There are two units currently operating out of Tuam and there are around 20 staff who make themselves available in the event of emergencies.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
