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SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM/TEMPLEOGUE-TERENURE AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

MOTION NO. 4

MOTION: Councillor D. O'Donovan

"That the Chief Executive ensures that the grass verge on Stocking Lane beside Prospect Manor and the open space at the top of Moyville Lawn are included in the grass cutting schedule and presents a report on the full grass cutting schedule for this year to try to avoid the issues which arose last season."

REPORT:

"The annual grass cutting programme commenced across the County in early March, a number of weeks earlier than would normally be expected and this is as a result of the mild winter. The service will be provided on the same basis as in previous years, that is open spaces and roadside margins will be cut fortnightly while playing pitches will be cut weekly. 

A number of issues are being examined in an effort to improve the delivery of the service in 2017. The record of grass cutting events in 2016 is being examined to identify where problems arose, as is the record of complaints received in 2016 regarding poor grass cutting standards.  The information obtained from this exercise will identify problems from the 2016 season which need to be addressed in 2017. 

It is proposed that the weed control which is required in margins around trees, sign poles, utility boxes, barriers and also in boundary areas will be carried out earlier than in previous years and that this will improve the appearance of those areas from an early date in 2017. 

It is also proposed that a system will be implemented in 2017 whereby all available grass cutting resources around the County can be pooled in such a manner that there is a consistently high standard of grass cutting achieved across all parts of the County.  This will represent a move away from the existing system whereby the service is provided in such a manner that each operational depot is responsible for grass cutting in a specific geographical area which is linked to it.  This has in the past resulted in a variation in the standard of grass cutting schedule achieved from one area to another across the County. 

New staff recruited in 2016 have been trained for grass cutting and will be used for this purpose as required throughout the season.  In addition provision has been made in the 2017 budget for the recruitment of 15 staff on a seasonal basis and the majority of these staff have now commenced work with the Council.  These seasonal staff will provide holiday cover for staff engaged in grass cutting and will also be able to assist in the cleaning of grass areas ahead of grass cutting.  Both these factors should assist in the proper resourcing of grass cutting throughout the holiday season and will help to achieve and maintain an acceptable standard throughout the summer.

In relation to the areas specifically referred to here, all open spaces in Moyville Estate and at Moyville Lawn have been cut and are on the regular grass cutting schedule.  The high grass margin at Stocking Lane has not yet been cut in 2017.  Due to the difficult nature of this area it cannot be cut by ride on mower or tractor mower and therefore is not included in the normal fortnightly schedule. The area is cut by either strimmers, pedestrian mowers or side-mounted flail and this takes place less frequently than the regular schedule.  This work is due to take place in the coming week to two weeks and will be repeated as required throughout the grass cutting season."