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FOUR MAJOR PROJECTS GET THE GREEN LIGHT. . . By Tom Kelly Environment Minister Mr. Noel Dempsey gave Mayo County Council a £10m 'present' when he paid an official visit to the authority on Friday. The Meath-based Minister made four major announcements to help facilitiate future development in the county. A sum of £4.4m is being provided for the long-awaited provision of a new Knock Sewerage Scheme. The existing facility has stifled growth in an area with huge industrial and tourism potential. Two 100-bedroom hotels had been put on hold until the scheme was sanctioned. The overall cost of the Knock project is estimated in the region of £7.5m., but work can now commence in bringing the scheme to fruition. The allocation will be viewed by many within the Fianna Fail party as somewhat of 'a retirement gift' to former Dail Deputy P.J. Morley who campaigned long and hard for the project over 20 years in political life. The go-ahead was given for the £2.7m. upgrading of the Castlebar Environs Sewerage Scheme. The badly needed project is needed to help facilitate the growth of Castlebar which is greatly handicapped by the existing scheme dating back to the turn of the century. The granting of the Castlebar funds will be regarded in political circles as new Dail Deputy Beverley Cooper Flynn's first major coup. The allocation of £2.16m. for a social housing scheme in Ballina was confirmed by Mr. Dempsey. The project will consist of 12 apartments, 34 houses and a communal facility at Bunree Road. Construction work on the development will commence shortly and is expected to be completed by mid-1999. An estimated £1m. was set aside for the approval of contract documents for a marine outfall survey for Killala Sewerage Scheme. It is now a matter for Mayo County Council to advance the project as expeditiously as possible. The Ballina and Killala announcements will be credited to the work of local Minister for State, Tom Moffatt, and will go a small way towards undermining the concept that North Mayo has been ignored by successive governments. Mr. Dempsey spoke at length at the special council meeting after being introduced by Mr. Pat Kilbane, chairman, who paid the Minister a warm welcome. Mr. Des Mahon, county manager, gave a broad outline to Mr. Dempsey of key requirements for the county.
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