Ballivor urgently needs library at St Kinneth's, says cllr

Meath County County Council has said it is in the final stages of securing an additional area of land to allow them submit revised plans for the refurbishment of the former St Kinneth's Church in Ballivor as a library and community rooms. A revised Part 8 planning application was necessary because of previously unmarked graves on the site and the council said it is in the final stages of securing the additional land from the Representative Church Body to allow them submit a revised application. St Kinneth's Church was built in 1821 and was in Church ownership until it was purchased by Ballivor Historical Society in 1997 who developed an IT training centre at the premises. In 2004, St Kinneth's was purchased by Meath County Council with a view to turning it into a public library for the area. When NEC semiconductors closed in the village, the company made a donation of €35,000 towards the fit-out of the library for the village. Government funding of €150,000 was awarded for the project in 2007 and amenity levies were also set aside towards the development. However, further funding was required for the project to proceed. Local councillor Tracey McElhinney is calling for the library project to be undertaken as soon as possible and said the village urgently needs the facility. She said, for those who do not have internet access, they have to travel to Trim to use the internet facilities. "I spoke to one woman and there was a problem with her computer and there is nowhere in Ballivor where there is internet access. All we want is a library and somewhere with internet access. For people not working, they need the internet for sending off CVs and checking out jobs," she said. She said that with resources being limited, they want to see the conversion of St Kinneth's into a library completed first, as they have enough meeting rooms in the village between the community centre and the meeting rooms at the parochial house. Cllr McElhinney said what they need is a library and some computers with internet access. Meath County Council spokesperson Bill Sweeney has said the council is negotiating a licence agreement with the Representative Church Body to allow Meath County Council control over the future maintenance of the entire church grounds. "Once this is in place, we will be in a position to carry out environmental/landscape improvements, tree surgery and boundary improvements to the grounds pending the securing of major funding for the library/community building project. Since our last meeting with Ballivor Community Council, we have endeavoured to expedite the land transfer and licence agreement but such legal matters, unfortunately, take time. I envisage that the legal agreements will be completed in May 2010 and then the Part 8 will be lodged," he said. Mr Sweeney said the delivery of the project on a phased basis would be "resource-dependant". The first phase will consist of the refurbishment of St Kinneth's Church plus a small extension for toilet facilities. The second phase will consist of an extension for the provision of community rooms.