Calls for salt bins to be installed in Clare schools as winter approaches

ONE CLARE municipal district are already planning for the next cold snap, even in the height of summer.

A motion submitted by Cllr John Crowe at the July Shannon MD meeting last week called on Clare County Council to "will provide salt bins to St. Finnachta’s National School in Sixmilebridge and all National Schools throughout the Shannon Municipal District to
help alleviate the hazardous conditions during very icy weather conditions."

Cllr Crowe noted that he was bringing this motion up so early in order to have schools be prepared for the coming winter. He also said that last year he personally had to arrange for gritting trucks to come off their scheduled runs in order to salt the area surrounding St Finnachta's and other schools.

"Rather than pulling the trucks off their schedule," he said, school caretakers could spread the salt themselves, if salt bins were installed.

The motion received much support from Cathaoirleach Donna McGettigan ad Cllr PJ Ryan, who observed that schools in Wales and Scotland employed similar bins, and that Clare could lead by example to schools across Ireland.

In a reply to the motion, Shannon MD Executive Engineer John Strand said that the MD had liaised with the Winter Maintainence Team, and that "a review of the winter maintainence will be carried out".