A GREEN space in Janesboro, which is being used for illegal dumping and antisocial behaviour, should be developed into a community centre with astro turf pitches and a dog-walking area.
That’s the view of Fine Gael City East local election hopeful Sarah Kiely who spoke this week about the concerns of residents living in Janesboro.
The green space, which is next to Janesboro AFC’s grounds, is known locally as ‘The Boro Field’ and Ms Kiely says it should now be made a priority by Gardaí.
“The current issues include illegal dumping of garden waste and more importantly, household rubbish. Some houses in Colbert Avenue have back gardens backing on to this site and it is an obvious negative for them.
“Horses are often left there for days and animal welfare is a huge concern. They have no shelter and the owners are unknown,” she told the Limerick Post.
“When scramblers and quads are being used there is a serious risk to safety. They are used on the main roads and avenues of Rathbane and Janesboro, making their way down to the field where mayhem takes over. Dog walkers are fearful and kids can’t play safely.”
Sarah believes community policing would go a long way to addressing some of the issues.
“Visibility is also key.
“The solution is not a simple one. It will take input from residents and the council as well as the Gardaí on a meaningful level. Immediate intervention is required from a safety aspect so if enough people contact the Gardaí, it would put it up the list of priorities.”
She is proposing that the area, also known as ‘The Wild Boro’, is used to develop astro turf pitches and a dog-walking area.
“A community centre is also badly needed. I know that’s a massive undertaking but we might as well go big or go home. If we had a representative on the council, we could advocate for this at a local and national level. There are lots of ways to access funding, we just need to give it serious effort with multidisciplinary input from all local stakeholders.
“The fact is Old Christians GAA club and Janesboro AFC pay to use Younger Munsters astro turf during the winter. Why can’t a community our size have our own?
“Not only would it be fantastic for our clubs, it would go a long way to addressing some of the issues that are having an adverse impact on the community. Rathbane, Kennedy and Glasgow Park, Carey’s Road and Janesboro would all benefit from this proposal,” she concluded.
