Chamber to host webinar on future for Athlone’s west side streets
Athlone Chamber of Commerce is set to host the second in a series of webinars designed to kickstart a conversation about key Athlone streets, how they have evolved and what the future holds. Pre-registration for the event is required and it is fully open to the public. A panel of expert speakers will discuss the challenges and opportunities for Athlone as we look forward to a post Covid era.
The event takes place on Thursday, January 27, at 10am when Westmeath Independent editor Tadhg Carey will chair a discussion focusing on Main St, Bastion St, Pearse St, Castle St, Connaught St, Market Sq and O'Connell St. The event will last approximately 80 minutes and the link for registration is online and across all social media platforms of Athlone Chamber.
The panel includes Senior Town Planner Cathaldus Hartin who will discuss plans for the future and consider what may be possible to help improve or transform our primary streets. Also providing a different perspective will be Michelle McKeon Bennett, TUS Dean at the faculty of Business and Hospitality.
Local historian and retired librarian Gearoid O’Brien will provide his insights on the west side and how best to make changes while understanding the historical importance of many protected buildings that line the streets there.
Property expert Treasa Coghill, Partner at Destinations Athlone Auctioneers, will discuss the various properties located on these West Side streets and what transformations we should aspire to in making the streets richer in character, while maintaining their historic importance.
Aine Daly, President of TUS Athlone Student Union, will represent the ever-growing community of students in Athlone as it transitions to a University town. Is the night life fit for purpose and does it realistically fulfil the social needs of our younger community. What are the other concerns for students and can Athlone do more?
Athlone Chamber President Alan Shaw announcing the event, stated: “This webinar is part of a continuing conversation about our main streets and help us to create a vision that can make them better. Getting different perspectives is key to understanding what we want and how it can be made possible. I sincerely hope that lots of people will register and attend the panel discussion as I believe that it will be the beginning of something new and exciting in our town. I also thank all our panellists and chair who have agreed to become involved in the panel discussion. I have no doubt that their knowledge and expertise will inspire and initiate a wider discussion in our community.”
The Athlone Chamber CEO, Gerry McInerney announced that, in addition, Athlone Chamber will produce a report by the end of March to summarise the key findings of the webinars and make recommendations. The involvement of the public is key to the success of the webinar and questions and comments can be submitted during registration or by using the chat box during the webinar. The recording of the first webinar is available on the Athlone Chamber YouTube channel.
REGISTER here