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A Chara, I hope you are all well and keeping safe. I have been asked for clarification of a number of issues. A lot of Clubs asked about upkeep of their premises and grounds. Some also asked about public liability insurance. The reply from Croke Park is below: Essential maintenance doesn't compromise public safety. And it can't be done at home. So it is fine to carry out those jobs. The same argument applies to collecting the post, turning off the burglar alarm if it goes off, popping in to see everything is ok , any other incidental visit etc etc. They are not closed as workplaces. So treat them as any other workplace. Just keep visits to a minimum, only somebody authorised by exec is permitted, should be alone, observe the hse guidance, and so on. There is no change to insurance either. Letter sent to clubs earlier this week. StickFan (Meath) - Posts: 217 - 28/03/2020 08:28:36 2274875 Link 1 |
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Roger, I am not involved in politics within or outside of the GAA and only have a very minor role in my club. My views are my own (I am not part of any group either for or against the development) and I am only voicing my grave concerns about how the project is been phased, the financial implications and the very substantial risk of jeopardising the whole project if Meath GAA continue to insist on having the Commons Road (terrace) side as Phase 1 of the construction. I am of the opinion that if people viewed the planning file, proposed costings, proposed phasing & ancillary works (which is what I did and when I researched the project) they would form the same opinion as myself. The reality is the only view that I can form with the approach to the phasing of the project is, that it is financial suicide and this was my view even before Covid-19. It is the only reason I raise this issue again, in hope that the decision makers will seriously weigh up the disastrous implications it could have on Meath GAA for generations to come. In any case I am pretty sure because of the Covid-19 there will be have to be a review of the whole project and I hope the County Board are using this quiet time to review the project in detail. The Covid-19 gives everyone an opportunity and an excuse to be able to readjust their positions going forward. In reality with the Planning permission granted over 2 years ago we should have been further down the road even before Covid-19 occurred. As the Commons Road side is forming phase 1 of the project, one would have imagined that Planning Condition No. 5 :Prior to commencement of development the applicant shall submit for and shall have obtained written agreement of the Planning Authority proposals for the treatment of the areas along the full road frontage of the site. This shall include vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access to the development and it shall also include public realm and street furniture proposals. Why in over 2 years has it not been possible for the County Board to provide details on that area of road frontage, which is the subject area of the development and which is proposed to be phase 1 of the construction. The County Board have paid out €700,000 in design fees and yet 2 years after planning permission has been granted it is very unclear what is been proposed in Phase 1. There is absolutely no reason if County Board delegates are been requested to vote on Phase 1 proceeding that clarity on what they are actually voting on is available for them to view. As I said before these drawings should be available to view on the Meath GAA website. They should be front and centre on the website especially now as there is no action on the playing fields. Roger I apologise for appearing to be so negative and honestly would be happy if my concerns were all unfounded. Unfortunately the more I research the project the more concerned I get. In light of all that is going on, all of this might be considered minor, I hope everyone is keeping well and we can all very soon get our fix of live GAA action, at this stage I would gladly take seating on those very uncomfortable seats on the old stand and take a soaking in the freezing rain in the uncovered terrace if I thought I could get out to see a game. Having said that I would welcome a bit more comfort in a new stand. madmeath (Meath) - Posts: 50 - 16/05/2020 19:18:30 2278409 Link 1 |
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Is there somewhere online where we can view the planning documents? I would like to have a look over myself as I wouldn't be in favour of a fully seated stadium.
mightymhi (Meath) - Posts: 11 - 16/05/2020 22:41:40 2278431 Link 0 |
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If you go onto the Planning search of the Meath County Council website and when prompted search type, choose file Number, type in NA171423, the file will open and then choose View Scanned Files. Hope that helps you.
madmeath (Meath) - Posts: 50 - 16/05/2020 23:49:47 2278437 Link 2 |
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How could they be "further down the road" as you say when the €6.2 million from LSSIF was only allocated in January gone by, that money was crucial to gaining Central and Leinster Council funding as well as going towards the overall cost, how can you go further down the road with an €12 million project when money hadn't been allocated, that wasn't the fault of Meath GAA, that was the government delaying the announcements and looking for a boost before a General Election.
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 27/05/2020 17:01:32 2279330 Link 18 |
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Richieq the point I am making is that although there was €700,000 euro spent on design fees, the County Board have still not submitted to Meath County Council or presented the drawings to the delegates or the public for Phase 1 of the development on the Commons Road side that were requested as part of the planning permission granted over 2 years ago. I was highlighting that it was not fair to be asking the County Board delegates to vote to proceed with Phase 1 when no drawings were available to know what they were voting on. They did not need the €62 from LLSIF to do those drawings as surely those drawings would be included in the €700,000 the design team were paid for the design. If the County Board were so confident and believed Phase 1 of the development was the correct route to take for the redevelopment of Pairc Tailtean, they would surely be at the very least promoting and presenting the Phase 1 of the proposed development so as to garner support from the public. Richieq I was really worried about how the whole redevelopment was been managed by the County Board and the path they were been led down but the fallout from Covid-19 has probably put a spanner in the works. madmeath (Meath) - Posts: 50 - 01/06/2020 00:36:18 2279625 Link 2 |
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Has anyone any word on when the stadium upgrade is due to start MeathOnHill16 (Meath) - Posts: 226 - 11/09/2020 16:01:37 2291571 Link 0 |
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Haven't heard an inkling since the proposals were ratified and granted back in 2018/19. Since then it's been every other few months earmarked for starting the development, but nothing as of yet. Knowing the culture of planning and the pace usually associated with these types of works in Ireland, along with the new world of covid restriction and regulation, if we see the project done by 2030 it would be good time.
Young_gael (Meath) - Posts: 587 - 13/09/2020 08:19:44 2291788 Link 18 |
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Funding received from the government (€6 million plus) is safe but associated funding from Leinster and Central Council is on hold due to the current situation, Kildare and Waterford in the same boat as ourselves with their projects, just have to wait until the coffers replenish before the extra funding needed is forthcoming. It looks like filling the funding gap in Casement Park now will be a feat that would need the skills of Paul Daniels and his lovely assistant Debbie McGee to accomplish.
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 18/09/2020 19:40:46 2292945 Link 17 |
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"Funding received from the government (€6 million plus) is safe" Where on this planet have you been since St Patrick's Day. The government have been overwhelmed for this payment and that payment in the intervening 6 months. Granted a promise was made but on the condition that co-funding from various GAA sources would be available! Each and every unit of the GAA that carried out any development over the past number of years ( including Croke Park) must be severely stretched to meet repayments especially as games are currently BRINGING IN NO MONEY. If the co-funding is not available the government can justifiably walk away. Also bear in mind that most of next year may easily be no different to this year. Therefore it will take a long, long time for any organization, with commitments, deprived of income for let's assume 18 months to become profitable again. Whither we like it or not this project is seriously compromised, so park it for the present and let a newer generation with more realistic plans refurbish the old lady when confidence not alone returns but has been firmly established. MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1062 - 18/09/2020 22:48:13 2292976 Link 0 |
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The government will not see the GAA stuck in any way, mind you the €19 million they are getting to run the championships could have been better spent by giving the required funding to Meath, Kildare and Waterford and let the club championships run their course, inter county should have been skipped this year in my view, other forms of funding can also be applied for, I don't see why it should be compromised, the government will borrow to sustain the country, money is cheaply available so just go get it. In terms of realistic it is realistic in that it would only be fully built if funding allowed, there's always a chance parts of it could be downsized, and I'm certain they will be, I even thought that before a virus was even heard of
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 23/09/2020 15:30:27 2293781 Link 17 |
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"the government will borrow to sustain the country, money is cheaply available so just go get it." Yes I would hope that the government will continue to borrow PRUDENTLY to sustain the country, that is essential services and to insure that families will survive, even this week the pandemic payment rates have been reduced so it would appear to me that expenditure is being closely monitored, prudence by another name. Of course "money is cheaply available", at this moment interest rates are low, lower even than before the crash in 08 but that won't save the country, banks or borrowers if the world's financial systems deem that we will have difficulties meeting our commitments or that liabilities exceed assets, simply by devaluing the assets. Then interest rates start to maybe only nudge up ever so little, national income drops and guess what? We have pressed the destruct button again, within a decade and a half of the last calamity. I cannot see how our County Committee or Leinster Council can come up with the co-funding required to carry out the proposals as outlined presently. Neither body have had any worthwhile in one this year and there must be serious doubts for next year as well. A step back is required and for a start the idea of even two stands needs very careful consideration. It would also help greatly if delegates knew exactly what the proposals are and the order in which they are to be carried out. To repeat again cheap money today may not be cheap money tomorrow especially as times are so uncertain and people are too willing to party at the expense of others from a fiscal and public health point of view. So let's think of resurrecting the old grey stadium only when we are again free to turn up and "pay at the gate". MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1062 - 23/09/2020 17:05:42 2293804 Link 1 |
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The way things are going a curtain side trailer with a few chairs from the local hall are all the development we will need to hold a crowd. Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 07/10/2020 13:15:45 2296236 Link 17 |
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And it could be brought from venue to venue....you could be on to something there.
MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1062 - 07/10/2020 16:42:21 2296276 Link 1 |
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Roscommon GAA made €905,000 profit on their 2020 house draw and €945,000 profit on their 2018 house draw. That's a total of €1,850,000 profit on two house draws. Meath GAA made a total of €150,000 profit on our 3 house draws. The numbers involved in the Meath GAA house draw are so staggeringly negative. The County Board Officers cannot be faulted for the effort they put in trying to sell tickets but they should have outsourced to plan and market the house draws. What is needed for a start is a development committee be formed of experienced people in the fields required to examine where we are at now and what part of/or any of this development should go ahead and if and when that would be viable. There are plenty of retirees here in Meath who have vast experience at the highest level in those fields who should be approached to volunteer and they could start by investigating the merits of all, part or none of the proposals going ahead. Meathball (Meath) - Posts: 140 - 04/01/2021 23:18:27 2326052 Link 1 |
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I thought we had a development committee headed by a retired minister and a retired sports executive officer. Or have those gentlemen upped and left? Haven't heard from either in a long time. There seems, also, to be distancing of the executive from the support base, in other words, the man in the street, in recent years. Maybe we were spoiled by the successes in the 80s and 90s and people are frustrated by the lack of success in recent years. You can point out that Roscommon have not been very successful either but their progress has been linear where as ours has been downward. It just appears that the raw enthusiasm just isn't there at the moment. Not knowing what actually is planned for Pairc Tailtean does not help. This today and that tomorrow won't wash with Joe Public anymore. MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1062 - 05/01/2021 12:36:59 2326096 Link 0 |
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if ever we wanted a tangible example of the massive disconnect between those tasked with running our organisation and those engaged at the bottom rung....this is it...and to say that the CB cant be faulted is naïve
Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 384 - 05/01/2021 14:46:19 2326115 Link 1 |
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Really theres no faith or trust in the co board.this is just really telling them that to. Borderroyal (Meath) - Posts: 488 - 11/01/2021 16:57:33 2327010 Link 0 |
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I think it's generally accepted, that the house draw was too ambitious in so far as raffling three houses in three draws over a prolonged period of time, one problem I heard some talking of was that the option of buying into the three draws for €250 was taken by a lot ahead of the first draw and sales for the second and third were very hard to fulfil as a consequence, one decent draw with a house as first prize and more substantial cash prizes as secondary prizes might have drawn more interest than trying to gain profit from three draws for three houses. Roscommon also have more of an indigenous population than we do here in Meath, the blue wave has long crashed over the border and I'd say trying to sell most Dubs a ticket to redevelop PT would be like trying to sell Arlene Foster a tricolour. I do think though that the supporters need to know more about the PT plan, we have seen images and plans yes but the phasing and thinking behind the phasing of the development needs to be explained more as does the costings and tendering etc, for people to buy into supporting a project like this they need to be well informed and presented with factual situations, I don't think there has been enough of that at all by the Board and that should be addressed, people are afraid that we will see a half ***** job done on the place and whilst personally I don't think that will happen supporters have a right to be assured of what's happening and what steps are, and have, been taking to address funding etc if they are to put their hands in their pocket and row in behind the plan, my **** has long gone past being able to suffer the cold timber and concrete of that stand we have at the minute so I will gladly salute a new structure when we see one rise and hopefully soon, I did hear the chairman reference a good news story on funding for the project at the convention, was there any further news on this last night I wonder? Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 12/01/2021 03:19:20 2327068 Link 17 |
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Good news for Louth this morning - seems like their project is moving forward nicely. BarneysTie (Meath) - Posts: 258 - 22/01/2021 11:28:21 2328474 Link 0 |