COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE
Thursday, June 23, 2016
MOTION NO. 5
MOTION: Councillor P. Gogarty
"That the Chief Executive report on the serious delays in grass cutting in Lucan, Palmerstown and elsewhere due to retirements and other resource issues and confirm that all efforts have been made to alleviate the backlog; to ensure further cuts take place before the end of the summer; and to provide a report of what has been done to date as of this meeting as well as provide an indicative schedule for the remainder of the season."
REPORT:
The increase in grass growth as a result of the weather in May and June has led to a delay in grass cutting in the Lucan area. The soil temperature for May was 10% 1 higher than the mean soil temperature for the years 2013-2016. While the rainfall for May was only marginally up by 6% on the mean rainfall for the same period, there was a significant increase in June with a 15% rise.
The combination of higher soil temperature and rainfall levels resulted in faster rates of grass growth. This has the effect of slowing down grass cutting operations as the travel speed of the machinery has to be reduced to account for the longer grass. If machines were to maintain the same travel speeds as they do during normal growth conditions the result would be patchy and uneven grass cutting and machinery damage. The seasonal nature of this spike in grass growth is more significant this year than in previous years, however it tends to be limited to the current period and already significant progress has been made to address the issue.
While the retirement of staff has had an affect on grass cutting operations this is now being addressed through a recruitment process following the lifting of the recruitment embargo.
The grass cutting schedule for the Lucan Area generally follows a cyclical route and is set out in the table below.
|
No |
ESTATE NAME |
|
1 |
Rosberry |
|
2 |
Haydens Lane |
|
3 |
Tullyhall |
|
4 |
Griffeen Estate |
|
5 |
Griffeen Avenue |
|
6 |
Griffeen Valley Park South |
|
7 |
Arthur Griffith Park Estate |
|
8 |
Esker Drive Road |
|
9 |
Johnsbridge |
|
10 |
The Forge |
|
11 |
Cannonbrook |
|
12 |
Finnstown Estate |
|
13 |
Westbury |
|
14 |
Hillcrest |
|
15 |
Green Park/West Park |
|
16 |
Adamstown Open Space |
|
17 |
Woodview Heights |
|
18 |
Airlie Heights |
|
19 |
Dodsborough |
|
20 |
Millstream Road |
|
21 |
Kew Park |
|
22 |
Weston |
|
23 |
Lucan Demesne |
|
24 |
Ardeevin |
|
25 |
Vessey Park |
|
26 |
Lucan Park |
|
27 |
Sarsfield Estate |
|
28 |
Lucan Weir |
|
29 |
Chapel Hill/Scouts Den |
|
30 |
Beech Park/Cherbury |
|
31 |
Lucan Heights/Esker Lawns |
|
32 |
Old Lucan Road |
|
33 |
Ballydowd |
|
34 |
Roselawn |
|
35 |
Ballyowen |
|
36 |
Larkfield |
|
37 |
Foxford |
|
38 |
Cluain Rí |
|
39 |
Liffey Valley estate |
|
40 |
Mount Andrew |
|
41 |
Hermitage Park |
|
42 |
Lomans Road |
|
43 |
Esker Meadows |
|
44 |
Esker Woods |
|
45 |
Bewley |
|
46 |
Willsbrook Estate |
|
47 |
Woodville Downs |
|
48 |
Hermitage |
|
49 |
Fairway |
|
50 |
Mount Bellew |
|
51 |
St Andrews |
|
52 |
Elmbrook |
|
53 |
Willsbrook Park |
|
54 |
Esker Park |
|
55 |
Esker Lodge |
|
56 |
Fforsters |
|
57 |
Moyglass |
|
58 |
Castle Riada |
|
59 |
Elm Estate |
|
60 |
Griffeen Glen |
1 www.met.ie/climate/monthly-data