Cllr. O'Brien pictured on old CIE link Road to Greenway

Councillor Michael O'Brien calls for Athlone concert arena to be built

BY KAYLEY HARDIMAN

Moate councillor, Michael O'Brien has called for an indoor concert arena to be built in Athlone. He wants Athlone Municipal District to “apply for Project 2040 urban generation funding for the development of a 10,000 seat indoor concert arena for Athlone.”

Cllr. O'Brien will table this motion and a number of others at Monday's meeting of the Athlone Municipal District of Westmeath County Council.

In late May, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed the €4bn Project Ireland 2040 funds which are to be used for urban regeneration, rural development and climate action. €2 billion has been allocated for the urban generation funding which will secure more sustainable growth in developed urban centres like Athlone. Submissions for the funding opened this summer and will be distributed from 2019.

Cllr. O'Brien will table a motion in relation to his proposal for the introduction of free travel expenses for third level students. He wishes that “Athlone Municipal District write to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social protection and the Minister for Transport calling for the introduction of free travel for full time third level students.”

He has been working towards this since 2016 and has previously written to the Transport and Finance Ministers calling for his proposal to be implemented. O'Brien has previously stated that “the cost of third level education is becoming unsustainable for many students and their parents. Free travel would be a considerable step in the right direction in helping students alleviate some of the financial strain.”

O'Brien's final motion which will be put before Athlone Municipal District today requests that waste management and collection be conducted by local authorities. He wants to “write to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment calling for waste collection to be brought back under the control of local authorities and included in the local property tax.”

In response to littering in Moate in front of the towns' Bring Bank site the councillor installed mobile CCTV to catch future perpetrators. 

O'Brien also encouraged people to get involved with a new Litter Free initiative which was implemented in Athlone in May called 'Athlone Business Champions'. 

“It's a simple idea whereby a group of business people across the town have committed to overseeing and promoting the cleaning of specific areas by encouraging other businesses to get involved. I would encourage every business in town to get involved in supporting this initiative making the town cleaner and more attractive for everyone.”