€1.2m Kells childcare facility gets go-ahead

The contract to build the new Kells community childcare facility on the Moynalty Road in Kells was signed last Wednesday in the Headfort Arms Hotel. The €1.2 million project, which is funded by Pobail under the National Development Plan, will provide over 70 affordable childcare places in Kells. It is expected that construction works will commence shortly and that the facility will be ready for opening early next year. The site on the Moynalty Road was made available by Kells Town Council and planning permission for the facility was granted earlier this year to the voluntary and charitable company Sunshine Community Childcare. The successful tender for the building contract is the firm of Weslin Construction Ltd. In attendance at the signing of the contracts were Mark Stenson of Weslin Construction, Fergal McGirl, architect, Patrick Shanley, surveyor and members of the Sunshine Community Committee, Pamela Strong, Sean Drew, Michael O"Byrne, Stephen Foley, Annette Maher, Angela Murphy and Liz Murtagh of Meath County Childcare. Unable to attend the signing were committee members Karen Donlon and Catherine Coogan of Meath County Childcare. Committee member, Cllr Sean Drew, warmly welcomed the signing of the contract and looked forward to the commencement of construction. He said that the committee had formed a number of years ago and substantial time and effort had been put in by the members to bring the project to this point. He gave particular praise to committee chairperson Pamela Strong who has been the driving force behind the scheme and said he was delighted to have been personally involved with this worthy project and thanked Catherine Coogan of Meath County Childcare, the members of Kells Town Council, Kells town clerk, Jarlath Flanagan and Kells area manager, Brendan McGrath for their support and the provision of the Moynalty Road site. He said that when the facility is open, it will provide an affordable childcare service for Kells, specifically targeted at disadvantaged families and will be a further positive development in the infrastructure of the town.