20 August 1997
In a display of unity the members of Castlebar urban council have given their unqualified stamp of approval to the town's bid to become the Information Age Town of Ireland.
Members loudly praise the Information Age Town Committee who have steered Castlebar into the top four qualifying towns. Tributes were also paid to town clerk John Condon who has been deeply involved with the project.
Mr. Condon pointed out at a meeting it was agreed to make £5,000 available for the project and he wanted the council's go-ahead to pay over the funds. It was now the final adjudication and five Telecom assessors would visit the town on August 25 to see that the detail of the submission was realistic and the project could deliver what Telecom were looking for.
He added the task force was working flat out to ensure the final adjudication was up to the standard of the original submission. There would also be visits to centres in the town and a major event was planned to show the level of community support for the project.
Mr. Johnny Mee said it was striking how young and old worked together as a team on the project. He also paid tribute to the town clerk. The town could now be facing a "golden age" of development.
Mr. Eoin Garavan said if Castlebar won it could have the potential to generate many jobs. The £5,000 council allocation "could well turn out to be the best ever value for money spent by this council," he added.
Mr. Paul Ainsworth congratulated everyone involved in the project and advised people to visit the Info Age Town centre which had opened on Ellison Street and sign the register there.
Mr. Frank Durcan said they were on the eve of something great for the town. He felt confident Castlebar would win out and he committed whatever support he could give to the project.
Mr. Paddy McGuinness associated himself with the congratulations and wished the committee success in the final adjudication. Community groups were a key factor in the presentation, he said, and it was an example of what can be achieved when people work together.
Chairman, Mr. Blackie Gavin, said well done to everyone involved. He paid tribute to the media for the role they played in creating awareness and also thanked the council officials for their commitment.
"I would now appeal to the people of Castlebar to come out in support of the committee and show their commitment for this project. The local fire brigade is "fired up" and the whole town must also get fired up," he said.
