Centre: Clarina                                                               Ref: 1994 

County: Limerick                                                           Mark: 240

Category: B                                                                     Date(s): 26/06/2013 

Overall Development Approach:

Many thanks for your entry in this year’s Tidy Towns Competition. Thank you for a very complete entry form and a great map which was very much appreciated on adjudication day. You also included really well laid-out photos which are a great asset for the adjudicator. Thank you.

Your group meets very regularly and you have support from other organisations locally and on a county level. The involvement of the GAA Juniors is a great asset for events such as Spring Cleans.

The Built Environment:

The hair-dressing salons and beautician’s are very neat. The service station is very busy but is kept well. The old RIC Barracks is extremely well preserved. The empty commercial site on the (N69 Foynes side) is kept clean. The monument is well looked after.

Landscaping:

You have undertaken several projects in this category. Please be vigilant with regard to hedge-cutting and encourage local County Council staff to carry out the cutting during the correct seasons. This is one of your strongest suits with some excellent results already. The planting at the Limerick approach road is excellent. Well done. The roundabout on the Foynes Road was admired. The planting on the ‘road to nowhere’ is very good and the planters along the fencing opposite is very effective.

Wildlife and Natural Amenities:

It’s great that you participate in the West Limerick Resources project and have learned survey skills and undertaken a fieldtrip. Where is the nominated wildlife sanctuary - is it the same as the small bird sanctuary on your map? A wildflower area was seen and looks great.

Litter Control:

Well done for hosting a Spring Clean and your regular anti-litter actions. The national school Spring Clean is an added bonus! Very little litter was seen on adjudication day. Well done.

Sustainable Waste And Resource Management:

You describe a number of suitable initiatives here. The use of the old concrete pipes is one of the best things to come out of an abandoned housing project. Composting is very worthwhile and do please work with the businesses on waste reduction. Describe in future entries how you did this.

You are advised to consult the literature provided by the Tidy Towns Unit on Sustainable Waste & Resource Management and the guidelines in the entry form. Look up the long list of examples of suitable projects and initiatives. You’ll find that you’re probably doing some of these already but look at the list of projects and initiatives and see where you ‘tick boxes’ and what you can do next.

Tidiness:

You have been very busy in this area and your work here is to be commended.Some more gates are in need of attention. Signage was in good order. Well done. Cill Chaoide was very neat indeed. Aos Chlauain has some really well designed homes. There is a high level of care evident here and the greens are lovely. Have you considered entering the Pride of Place Competition?

Residential Areas:

It’s great that you have an effective residents’ association with which to work. This is a huge benefit to your community in dealing with unfinished estates and other big issues.

Roads, Streets and Back Areas:

Well done for the upkeep work you have taken on. Painting gates may seem a minor project but the visual impact this has is great. There are many stone walls - as per your habitat map. The GAA field and gates were seen to be in perfect condition - well done. The new footpath on Church Road looks very well done, as does the new wooden post and rail fencing. This last should be painted soon.

Road surfaces on Church Road were not good. The block wall of the GAA (2) field could be painted or perhaps have plants trained up it.

General Impression:

Great work has been carried out in a well-organised fashion. The landscaping of the main road is very well done. Good luck and thank you.

Centre: Clarina                                                               Ref: 1994 

County: Limerick                                                           Mark: 225 

Category: B                                                                     Date(s): 28/06/2012 
          

Overall Development Approach:

Your adjudicator would like to welcome Clarina to the 2012 TidyTowns Competition and your participation is important to the competition. Thank you for the completed entry form and the extremely accurate and helpful map. Your committee of fourteen is very large and that indicates strong support for your work for Clarina. Your meeting schedule seems to be a busy one and it was good to see that the appropriate agencies are involved in your various tasks. Have you considered using texting and email to expand the methods used to communicate with the Clarina community? It is noted that you have extended the area that you cover and the total area was visited. A TidyTowns 3 Year Plan was not included with your entry and this should be considered by the committee in the coming winter. You can prepare the plan yourselves using the ten adjudication categories as a framework or template for the plan. Identify the year or years in which each project should be implemented and the likely supporting groups or agencies.

The Built Environment:

Good work at the old Post Office at the corner was admired as was work at the GAA entrance where the gates have been painted. The Centra area was seen as being neat and tidy. The very large closed building at the roundabout had the potential to be an eyesore but was found to be tidy and generally adequately presented. Good landscaping work at the nearby roundabout tends to draw the eye away from this vacant building. The Catholic Church is an attractive cut limestone building well presented together with the nearby car park. Just down the road the Green Flag was proudly flying at the National School though some weeding was necessary in the car park. Kilkeedy Cemetery was visited and this is an interesting site, however maintenance here needs to be improved. Bad weed growth and long grass were evident. The gates would be improved if painted. The Fisherman Monument is an attractive well planted open space. However the kerbing / concrete edging around the green area need to be repaired. The use of the Irish language on signage is required under present legislation and this should be encouraged where appropriate. On signage the Irish language must have the primary role.

Landscaping:

The new rectangular landscaped area on the Limerick side of Clarina was visited and good work has been done here. Just before this the verges on both sides of the road have great potential for good presentation. A strip of grass leading towards the new landscaped area had been cut far too tightly. This is damaging to the grass and not helpful to wildlife. Flower planting was noted in various areas of the village and work at the roundabout is especially commended. Your adjudicator reminds the TidyTowns Committee that the cutting of roadside banks and ditches in the period 1st March to 30th August is not permitted under Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976, incorporating Section 46 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000.

Wildlife and Natural Amenities:

Well done on the provision of the bird and hedgehog boxes at the school. Have they had any residents yet? Has there been any progress on securing funding for the Wildlife Survey? Do make sure to try and involve the school in this project if at all possible.

Litter Control:

Litter control in Clarina was found to be very good again this year and your mark has increased. The weekly litter patrols are obviously working. The twice yearly parish cleanup days are an excellent idea and help to keep on top of litter and tidiness issues. How have you involved the school in you litter control programme?

Waste Minimisation:

You are the first Committee this year in the experience of this adjudicator who has done any work on Carbon Footprint. Do give us a summary of the results of this with your entry next year. Has the Clarina community been able to produce positive results of this workshop? As you will have discovered this category is about the reduction of annual waste generated in Clarina and you will have addressed this issue in your Carbon
Footprint project. Next year we look forward to having results from you of what has been achieved locally. The plans for water harvesting are commended.

Tidiness:

Well done in your participation in the National Spring Clean day with the active support of the school. All signage was quite clean and easily read. It is suggested that in cooperation with the Local Engineer that sign poles are painted matt black. Work on field gates was also examined and the painting is effective.

Residential Areas:

Your links with Residents Associations are good and important. Houses across from the pharmacy were seen as being well presented together with the terrace of houses nearby. New Village was found to be extremely tidy and well presented with an excellent large green area. The planting of some groups of native trees is suggested for this area. Good presentation of private houses also caught the eye along the Ballybrown road.

Roads, Streets and Back Areas:

On the Foynes approach road the banks and verges needed to be cut. A similar situation was noted along the road leading to the old Graveyard. New road surfacing was admired along Vermont though banks along here needed a trim. Along this road weed growth at the base of walls also needed attention.

General Impression:

You have done good work for Clarina during the year and you are adopting a logical approach to what needs to be done. Good luck for the year ahead and we look forward to returning to Clarina in 2013.

Tidy Towns Competition 2011

Adjudication Report