Leixlip Tidy Towns
Adjudication Report 2021
Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht:
Fáilte chuig Comórtas na mBailte Slachtmhara Super Valu 2021. Táimid buíoch daoibh as ucht na hiontrála a chur chugainn. Go raibh maith agaibh as ucht bhur dtacaíocht le linn na paindéime.
Welcome to the 2021 SuperValu TidyTowns competition. Thank you for your entry and for your commitment to your place in these difficult times. Keep up the great work. Well done on recruiting 10 new volunteers during Covid. You are supported by a wide group of companies and agencies such as Kildare Co. Co., SuperValu, Spar and Intel. We are pleased to see that you are making good use of social media such as Facebook and Whatsapp while also maintaining a notice board on the wall of Leixlip Shopping Mall. We like the new committee green jackets. You have a school liaison officer in place to link in with the schools which is a great strategy. Well done.
Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:
The repainting of the old street names and signs was carried out and they are presented well. This was a neat and detailed job. We learned that you cleaned the metal railing along the Rye and Liffey and had the fencing painted along Maynooth Road. We commend you on getting the scouts and Intel involved in this work. We are glad to read that the town seats were painted as they are quite functional in these times. We like the colour chosen on the Liffey Bridge. The Guinness bollards are novel and eye catching.
Congratulations on extending your heritage trail and receiving the heritage grant. We are delighted to learn that four seats in the River Walk area were repaired. We see that you are addressing the derelict buildings in the town. You are proactive in working with other groups such as the Parish Council in keeping their buildings and grounds maintained to a high standard. We undestand that you have further enhanced Leixlip Boathouse. Well done.
Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú:
Well done on moving away from planters and baskets to planting directly into the soil. We like your strategy to allow the Wild meadow to grow while trimming a few strips of the perimeter for tidiness and neatness. We acknowledge your efforts and plans for the third roundabout at Intel. The horse sculpture at Kilmacredock Roundabout is novel and eye catching. This sculpture is worth maintaining and we liked the name chosen by the children for the elf! Well done on installing the chess boards to a number of outdoor tables. This was a good strategy. The Mass steps are well presented as a result of the repairs carried out. The Squirrel tree looks very well and we see the work carried out here in clearing the ivy. We like the Rock Bed at Old Hill and the flowers look well. The cart which was donated to you is a nice feature that you have painted and displayed. We see that you have a stone bed presented at Green Lane also which is eye catching. We acknowledge the variety of flower beds and shrubbery in the town which you tend to on a regular basis.
Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:
Congratulations on your award of €5,000 for the funding of a biodiversity plan. The Biodiversity Way is a valuable amenity in the town and the three information panels are a great learning tool for the communitiy and visitors. We note that you have identified three bat species which is significant. Additionally you have identified over 6 different types of grasses. This is impressive and we are pleasead to learn that devlopment of the new trail was guided by a professional ecologist. We like the community orchard established on Rye River Walk and it is great to see that you have apples trees, blackcurrent bushes and rasberry bushes. We understand that you are also committed to hedge management to support wildlife. Well done on acquiring the bird and bat boxes from Intel. The lockdown project carried out in painting the boxes looks superb. We are also very pleased with the bee project carried out with fifth class in addition to the bat survery.
Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:
We are glad to see that you have restored 8 outdoor seats and that they are used. Well done on the preservation of the timber bollards. The metal litter bins are also well presented. We like the colour of the Oaklawn fence as it is vibrant. It is good to learn that Intel and Hewlett Packard have wildflower areas to benefit the pollinators. Well done on maintaining a close eye on overspills in the recycling area. We see that you now have a large recycling area with over 20 large bins. We are delighted to see that the Men’s shed has such an active role and we admired the window boxes they produced. Wel done on acquiring the new storage shed.
Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:
We acknowledge your efforts during Covid to clear litter at The Wonderful Barn. Congratulations on doing so well on the IBAL litter league. As outlined earlier, we like the appearance of the newly painted bollards. We understand that you have varnished the wooden benches along the Rye River which are used regularly no doubt. We appreciate your efforts in weeding by hand at the roundabout. The wooden fence outside the school looks well and we are glad to learn that all hedge cutting is carried out before March each year.
Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:
We understand that there are over 20 estates in the town. We are delighted to see that the estate signs are also presented as Gaeilge. Maith sibh. Well done on organising a ‘Best Estates’ competition. This is a good way of motivating participants. We like the Cedar Park name sign. We see that burnt soil was replaced by fresh top soil in the area near St. Catherine’s Park. It has been planted with heathers and cactiIt and is well presented. We are glad to read that Gleneaston has an active Residents association and is kept clean. The Fairy Glen established by Ryevale Lawns Residents Association looks great. We like the colourful and detailed map presented at the glen and are pleased to see a bug hotel also established there. The map is child friendly. The artwork at Ryevale is eyecatching and we liked the wildflower area at St. Catherine’s Park.
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:
We admired the cut stone that replaced the timber on the welcomming beds on the approach roads. As outlined earlier, the iron horse at the Kilmacredock roundabout is eye catching and well maintained. We appreciate your input on the continuous strip of long flowering plants on the Gleneaston side of the road. We liked the unmowd verge on Gleneaston Road. The bed at waterworks is vibrant and well maintained. We appreciate your efforts in planting here annually as well as weeding. Well done on the new seat and litter bin placed at Captain’s Hill. They have eye appeal and are functional. We see that you restored a seat at Old Hill and we are pleased with the new fence at Sileachan Lane. Additionally, we are glad to see that new fencing and footpaths have been installed outside the GAA grounds. Additionally you have a new widened footpath and fencing at the schools providing added safety. You have been proactive in this category also.
Concluding Remarks:
Unfortunately we were unable to visit Leixlip on this occasion due to Covid restrictions. We appreciate and acknowledge all your work and commitment during the passed two years. We hope to visit Leixlip again in the near future.