< Previous© December 2020 The Meath Coaster 10 LED lighting and raised tables in both Bettystown and Laytown. We are also installing some bollards at these locations to prevent people parking on the footpath! Laytown Bridge to Seafields – you will soon see works begin on a new pedes- trian and cycle path connecting Laytown footbridge with Seafield pitches, Laytown Pitch & Putt and the beach. This will make it much safer for children being dropped off for training and matches, or those out walking in the area. We most likely won’t get this project completed before the end of the year but it’s on the way! Bus Shelters – another one for the new year! Unfortunately, we won’t get our new bus shelters installed before Christ- mas, but I have been assured we are top of the list for the new year, for the shelters I secured for Coney Hall in Mornington and Deepforde on the Dublin Road. I will continue to seek funding for the completion of all other important walking and cycling projects that are needed in the area! County Development Plan 2021-2027 We are currently meeting almost on a daily basis to work on our Draft County Development Plan. Due to Covid restric- tions, our meetings are scheduled online and in person in the Solstice Arts Centre to adhere to social distancing rules. Whilst safety is paramount, it is crucial that we get this work completed before the end of the year. This plan will shape the devel- opment of our county and I have worked exceptionally hard to ensure that your best interests are considered at all times. The focus for East Meath in this plan is to ad- dress the deficit of community infrastruc- ture and encourage local employment, and I am looking forward to helping de- liver those! Bettystown Library Update Part 8 Planning Permission has now been granted for the new Library & Civic Build- ing at Seaview Terrace in Bettystown. Meath County Council will be going out to tender in January for the construction of this amazing facility. There are two parts to the tendering process on a project of this scale, firstly a pre-qualification pro- cess to assess if the interested parties have the resources and capabilities to carry out the works, and then the official tender. It is envisaged that we will be turning the sod around May/June, all going well! Stay Safe, Well & Positive While there is light at the end of the Coro- navirus tunnel with vaccine hopes in early 2021, I want to take this opportunity to say to each and every one of you, you did an amazing job at keeping our Covid numbers very low here in East Meath. It’s been a really difficult year for everyone, and I hope you are coping ok. Don’t for- get there are plenty of supports out there if you feel you are struggling, and details of the Council Support Line is in the mid- dle pages of this edition of the Coaster. Please try to enjoy your Christmas, this year’s celebrations will be very different, so above all else, remember to Stay Safe, Stay Well and Stay Positive! As always, if you have an issue you would like to raise with me please drop me an email to sharon.tolan@members.meath- coco.ie or give me a call on 086-3669852.Providing Professional Print Services to Meath Coaster Since 2009 If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it. There’s never been a better time to publish your book! 19 Fair Street, Drogheda, A92 VN2K T: 041-9803135 E: info@beulahprint.ie W: beulahprint.ie Independent publishing is increasingly becoming the first choice for many aspiring authors, who are learning to compete with the larger publishers and, in some cases, even outselling them. There are now more independently published than traditionally published books. 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We are grateful for the support from local businesses and councillors who have con- tributed to the decorations and to the cost of the installation of the Christmas street and tree lights. A big thanks and a very Merry Christmas to all our sponsors: Meath County Council, Alan Berrill of Julianstown Golf Course and Pitch & Putt Pat Boshell of Pat’s Centra, Bettystown Andrew and Laura Callaghan of Calla- ghan’s Butchers, Drogheda Credit Union Macari’s Pizzeria, Bettystown Square Marina and Denis Reddan of Reddan’s Bar, McDonough’s Caravan Park, Stack’s Pharmacy, Bettystown, Triton Casino Cllr. Tom Behan, Cllr. Elaine McGinty Cllr. Sharon Tolan Community Clean Up Well done to the St Colmcille’s Under 14s girls’ team who helped clean up the beach with a litterpick in the dunes after their training session (photo page 43). If your community group would like to take part in a community clean up please contact Bettystown Tidy Towns on Facebook. Wildflower gardens Our green fingered volunteers have been busy in the wildflower gardens this month. The Kite Garden got a fresh look after weed- ing, raking and new paths were laid out. We’ve also been doing some autumn plant- ing in the Green Gate Garden. Our thanks to Liz and Roger of The Cottages who have provided us with some great plants. Join us If you would like to help in our gardens or with any other aspect of our works please speak to any of our volunteers or message us on Facebook. . § Bettystown Tidy Towns (BTT)© December 2020 The Meath Coaster 14 News From Julianstown & District Community Association By Niamh Bn. Uí Loinsigh ‘Tis the season to be wary and Christmas will be so very different this year W ell how are your Christmas plans coming along? Thinking of order- ing the ham or have you decided what is for dessert? The list goes on and despite having spent so long in lockdown I still don’t have the energy to even think about it yet! This will not be a normal Christ- mas like the ones we have always loved and enjoyed. Will there be Christmas Carols and Christmas cheer? Of course, there will! We are an optimistic lot, and we will manage to gather with as many of our loved ones as it is safe to do, but we will be wise, cautious and enjoy the day. We will buy a real Christ- mas tree and let our homes be filled with the scent of pine needles. We will decorate the tree with fat Santa’s, baubles, angels, and lights. There will be carols by candlelight! Surely, not even COVID-19 can derail the belting out of Silent Night. We will also remember all those loved ones we have lost during the pandemic, our hearts may be broken, but we must look forward to the future and hope that life will get back to normal in 2021. Improvements in village Julianstown & District Community As- sociation chairperson had a chat with Christy Clarke, Area Engineer Meath Co.Co. and as a result several jobs have been carried out around the village. Vis- ibility at the bad bend on the Laytown road has been much improved and the drains running through the village have been cleaned. Shrubs which had become overgrown with brambles were also re- moved. There are still many more jobs to be done such as the replacement of broken signage, cutting back of hedges on main road, the completion of road makings on the south side of the village and removal of large stones from the garden so we can plant a native hedge along the roadside. We thank Meath County Council for the work done to date. Julianstown Tidy Towns have been busy around the village and you may have no- ticed the Santas’ and Mr. Frosties have been placed all around the village. So children – ‘You better watch out, You bet- ter not cry ,You better not pout, I’m telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town, He’s making a list, He’s checking it twice, He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice, Santa Claus is coming to town’ Our next project for the vil- lage garden is to install more seating such as a picnic table with wheelchair access, mul- ticoloured benches with a Story Tellers Chair, Outdoor Table Tennis, and Foot- ball for teenagers and a small playground for the children. We are delighted to have received some funding from our Council- lors namely, Tom Behan Cathaoirleach of Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District, Cllr. Sharon Tolan, Cllr. Elaine McGinty and Cllr. Geraldine Keogan towards this large project. These funds which will go Continued over....© December 2020 The Meath Coaster 15 TAXI & MINI-BUS SERVICE SERVICING LAYTOWN, BETTYSTOWN, DONACARNEY, MORNINGTON, GRANGE RATH & DROGHEDA WHEELCHAIR AND LUXURY CORPORATE VEHICLES ALSO AVAILABLE ON REQUEST TRAIN AND BUS STATIONS • DUBLIN AIRPORT (24 HOURS) HOSPITALS & ALL APPOINTMENTS All Drivers and Vehicles are Covid-19 Compliant 041 98 444 98 041 98 111 98 086 838 4444 www.eastcoastcabs.ie Happy Christmas and Thank You to All Our Customers© December 2020 The Meath Coaster 16 towards purchasing these costly items and thank all the Councillors and if any of our residents would like to donate some funds towards this project please contact our Treasure Aisling Monahan on 087 9051751. Thanks also to Aisling, Leo & Rachel for removing all the large planters from around the village. It’s a big job as the containers are very heavy and then you have to be very mindful of the passing traffic! Pat Kiernan has been busy in the garden transplanting several plants and this of course is the ideal time to divide and split your plants. Kevin and Victor are sorely missed during the lockdown, but hopefully will be back with us again shortly. nises the changing face of humanitarian work and the ways in which the world online can contribute to humanitarian causes. Alma set up Agrikids.ie in 2014 during Ireland’s worst ever year on record for farm safety. Whitecross National School is accepting enrolments in all classes and for further information please email whitecrossns@ gmail.com or phone 041 9829229. The new 16 classroom school building is now due to be completed in April/ May 2021 and funding has been se- cured to install a fence around the boundary of the school and main road. This will of course ensure the safety of all children. Our new school building is due to be com- pleted in April/May 2021 . The new school is a 16-classroom school. Funding has been secured from the Department to install a fence around the boundary of the school and the main road. This will en- sure the safety of all children. Julianstown & District Community As- sociation wish all our residents a very Happy and Safe Christmas for 2020 and an even better 2021. “Nollaig Shona agus áthbhliain faoi Mhaise Daoibh” Local Talent around Julianstown Congratulations to Darragh McCullough on winning An Post Irish Book Awards and Darragh said “Thanks to everyone who voted and purchased my book. So thrilled to be awarded the @SpecsaversIE Children’s Book of the Year. Credit to the amazing illustrator @Sally Caulwell for making farm facts FUN” Congratulations also to Alma Jordan who has been nominated for an Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Award – The award recog-© December 2020 The Meath Coaster 17 For the Out of Hours On Call service please call Westgate Vet Hospital, Scarlet Street, Drogheda. 041 9838718 / 041 9837658 Laytown Veterinary Clinic Laytown Veterinary Clinic is a branch practice of Westgate Veterinary Hospital in Drogheda. Laytown Clinic was established in 2004. We have recently refurbished the clinic and now have more extensive facilities including : soft tissue surgery, dental procedures, xrays and in house laboratory. For Appointments, Phone 041 2136168 Covid Collection Times Monday - Friday 12.15 to 12.45 3.30 to 4.30 Clinic Hours Monday – Friday 9am – 10.30am. 2pm – 3.00pm. 4.30pm – 5.30pm© December 2020 The Meath Coaster 18 Laytown Tidy Towns W e have been busy during November with most of the team continuing with the edgings in the village. The small carpark opposite Aldi is finished, and eco- friendly weedkiller has been applied to slow down regrowth of weeds! As lockdown meant we were without our treasured CE participant, Will Connell, there was plenty of litter which the rest of the team focussed on during Satur- day mornings, and indeed during the week. We managed to get the litter picked on the approach road almost halfway out to Julianstown and we are delighted with the result! Hopefully Will can return to action in December, he was sorely missed! Laytown is a hive of activity at the mo- ment. The main car park is being com- pletely resurfaced and extended to fit more cars. This is a very welcome project as the car park was in a sorry state, with potholes all over it, and weeds growing on every kerb! This is the work in progress, and we look forward to seeing it finished! On the other side of the railway construc- tion is underway to provide a new bottle banks site to replace the site in the car park. There will be a slip road into the banks which we assume will be a one way system. This too is a welcome addition to the area and hopefully will not be abused by people dumping their rubbish! We are delighted to say that our buxus spiral trees, all of which took a battering when exposed to the sea breezes, have recovered beauti- fully and are thriv- ing their new shel- tered home near the Insect Hotel! It is hard to see from the photo, so take a look next time you're passing! Please remember new volunteers are al- ways welcome......we meet on Saturday mornings at the Coast Tavern at 10am. 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