Summerhill sewerage project nears completion

Sewerage works in Summerhill which have been causing severe disruption in the village are nearing completion. The outstanding work should be completed in the next month, according to Meath County Council. Residents were angry over the state of the roads in the village during the project and a lack of communication from the contractor on diversions and the progress of the works. Cllr Bill Carey recently received an update on the works from the infrastructure department of the council which stated that sewers have been constructed on the Trim Road and Rathmolyon Road through the village and on the Kilcock Road. At present, works are taking place on the Enfield/Agher Road. The road was closed up to last Friday but is now open with traffic lights. The outstanding parts of the scheme include the Rathmolyon Road at its junction with the village"s main street and this sewer will be constructed by trenchless means and will take approximately three weeks. Residents were angry that material was dumped on the village green in Summerhill and on another green area near the Garda station where the local tidy towns committee was carrying out planting. Engineer David Keyes said that the stone was tipped by the tunnelling sub-contractor and that it would be moved to within the cordoned-off area for the tunnelling works. He also told Cllr Carey that the ground conditions throughout the contract were quite bad with a high water table that made the works process and progress quite difficult. He said that the contractor is responsible for maintaining the temporary road reinstatement until the permanent surfacing is carried out, including any sections of the relevant road reinstatement where potholes and rutting takes place. Mr Keyes has asked the overseeing engineer to ensure that the contractor keeps the temporary reinstatement in a proper and safe condition and he said that permanent reinstatement will take place later this summer. On a more positive note, he said Summerhill residents have benefited from the recently commissioned Summerhill Water Supply Scheme, with better water quality and water pressure. The Summerhill scheme will be fully operational early next year, when the new wastewater treatment plant is completed and Mr Keyes said that both schemes will facilitate and drive the proper development of the village and will be of great value to the local residents and businesses in the longer term. Cllr Carey said he 'regretted that it had taken so long to get a concise report where, at long last, the council had admitted that the people in Summerhill had been kept in the dark, as were the public representatives'.He added that the attitude of the contractor towards the people when it came to answering questions 'left a lot to be desired' and that the people were 'treated in a roughshod manner and so was the village itself'. He added: 'At long last, we can see where it is going. We can see an end in sight to the disruption that has been going on for a couple of years. The letter states, and I do agree, that ground conditions were impossible and admit that caused lot of delay but nevertheless the communication between them and the people left a lot to be desired.'