THIS SITE IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED.

September Edition 2017

Johnstown Tidy Towns

Did you know that we’ve entered 'Johnstown' into this year’s Tidy Towns Competition?

Here we find out more about what's involved and why you should get involved with Johnstown Tidy Towns.

Where is Johnstown?

This formed the question to our very first magazine edition article and to enter the competition we've now defined the entry area on a map.

With 5 approach roads the area encompasses approximately 3,000 homes with 10,000 residents, many open green spaces, several shops with a dedicated business development zone, one church, 2 schools with approx 1,700 students, a few preschools, and finally the River Boyne as our main natural feature.

What's it about?

Initiated nearly 60 years ago the annual competition engages communities with their local environment and it honours the 'tidiest' and 'most attractive' cities, towns and villages in Ireland.

Run by Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with SuperValu having been the main sponsor for the past 25 years.

Setting the standard.

Could Johnstown ever expect to reach this quality of presentation, tidiness and community pride to match this video clip produced by last years Skerries winning entry?

It s eye candy to watch but we've no beach, golf course, windmill, cycle race etc but we do have people and a community and that's our starting point.

Making a Start

Representatives from across the area formed the Johnstown Tidy Towns Group late last year in a response to reverse the increasingly negative impression residents and visitors were getting of our neighbourhood.

Littering, fly tipping, graffiti, dog poo, uncut open spaces and the worsening appearance of vacant and derelict buildings provoked a public meeting late last year.

Soon after the meeting regular fortnightly litter picks began and made an immediate noticeable difference but that’s only the beginning and it needs your support.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who's come out to help. Some are featured in these photos from the Johnstown Tidy Towns Facebook Album.

There's so much more about being a Tidy Towns entrant.

The national competition has all the ingredients to bring about a real change to Johnstown, it will reverse this negativity, and everyone will notice and appreciate the difference that community involvement brings.

This longer video by skerries is a visual delight with captivating views over land and sea. It really makes you want to visit.

What could Johnstown do?

We can't remake our environment but we can make the most of what we have starting with instilling some pride in our community and how we present it.

Who’s involved?

Everyone! Residents, local business’, schools and many community groups play a vital role in caring for their environment.

People often complain that the council should do more but unless we wish to pay more taxes then they alone can’t make the difference. Also, they shouldn’t need to be the ones instilling a sense of pride in their environment and tell parents that their children shouldn’t litter or damage buildings, trees or flower beds. People are by far the most important player in caring for and maintaining their own environment.

What’s already happening?

Annual Clean Up days organised by resident groups within each estate significantly improve those areas. However Johnstown is a collection of around 20 such areas and understandably the areas between them were not being cared for in the same way.

“We all clean and maintain our house and garden but the impression to friends and family extends to the estate and local neighbourhood too.”

More Challenges.

The following represent some of the concerns that were raised at the initial public meeting and the group has since identified some priorities and key objectives to get the ball rolling.

A Place Name

As we already know from previous articles Johnstown is no longer a precise location but rather a wider community and collection of many estates. With 5 entry roads only 2 actually mention Johnstown as a destination and even then there’s no name marker on arrival.

“It’s a simple gesture that makes a difference to how people feel about the area.”

Green Spaces

With enough public open green space to match more than 20 football pitches we have very little planted flower displays or significant areas that are more than grass lawns and hedges.

“I’ve noticed the efforts of some of the business’ who’ve improved their kerb appeal using flowers and it’s wonderful to see the improvement it makes.”

“Some estates have planted around the entrance areas which gives brightens the areas and provides a sense of pride in the estate.”

“Rather than grass lawns I’d love to see wild flowers that provide attractive colours and interest throughout the year. We’ve already discovered that they can be far less costly to residents to maintain compared to grass lawns.”

Vacant Property

An empty shop quickly gives a negative impression to an area. Like most areas we have several but their un-kept appearance lowers the standing of neighbouring business. The former Gym is perhaps the biggest offender which distracts from the apartments and the Shopping Centre. The shuttering was needed to secure the building but after several months it became such an eyesore that with the owner’s permission the shutters were removed. We’re hoping that there will now be some significant investment into the premise that will further enhance the area.

“When a business closes the premise quickly becomes an eyesore. We’ve been approaching the building owners to encourage them to agree to make simple and often inexpensive improvements that make these outlets more attractive to locals and prospective business’. If they’ll help fund it we’ve offered to arrange for volunteer groups to help make the improvements.”

Daily littering

As if overnight the good work at the regular litter picks is soon undone by just a few. It’s frustrating and defeating to see the wind spreading and sharing the litter that’s not being binned.

There will never be enough public bins but it’s the disrespect of a few individuals to litter that causes the issue for everyone. Outside the shopping centre is a hot spot for gathering teenagers and despite there being a bin within metres it’s not being used by everyone.

“Litter was perhaps the most obvious issue that needed tackling.”

"Bin it to Win it"

Read Article

Natural Features and Wildlife.

With the River Boyne so close it is unfortunate that our biggest natural feature is both hidden behind the IDA land and being surrounded by private land it’s inaccessible. Unable to enjoy walking along its banks we are left with occasional views from atop the bridges.

You can walk along the ramparts to Slane and if the path extended to Johnstown then I’m sure it would be add significant value as an attraction for Navan.

With the assistance of Meath River Rescue the group helped collect litter on the River Boyne. As a natural wildlife habitat and even though we can’t access it we still need can’t be the ones polluting it.

Education.

Parents can make the difference by instilling in their children a sense of pride and to in have respect for their home and neighbourhood. The competition goes further in that it encourages the children to learn about the environment through school programs and to then take the challenges to make these changes in their own homes.

Waste Bin charges are set to change with recycling and reuse being the focus. Landfill will cost us all dearly so the motivation will be money.

Smith’s SuperValu

We’re fortunate that Johnstown is host to Smith’s SuperValu since SuperValu has been the national sponsor of the Tidy Towns Competition for over 25 years.

Having recently invested considerable funds into refurbishing their outlet within the Johnstown Shopping Centre they’re committed to their resident customers and have kindly agreed to assist the Johnstown Tidy Towns entry.

Once the stores refurbishment work is complete we'll follow up with an article on Smith's Supervalu and more about their involvement in Tidy Towns.

Bag Pack at Smiths SuperValu raised urgent funds.

Judging

The Competition is judged during the summer months (May to August) by an independent adjudicator visits during the summer months and issues a written report complimenting positive development and actions together with positive suggestions on how the community can improve their general surroundings.

To attain the title of "Ireland's Tidiest Town" is a considerable challenge. Won last year by Skerries they have every right to be extremely proud and a community achievement.

There are other category awards but only achievable if the entire community lends it weight to make a real noticeable difference.

Why get involved?

Having now read through the projects you might be wondering what can you offer?

We’ve seen that some people are prepared to pick up litter at the regular fortnightly litter picks, local business’ are coming on board cleaning up and planting flowers but the competition is about so much more.

The initiative is an opportunity for residents to get involved with the wider community, to make new introductions, new friendships and create a network who actively take part in projects which foster pride in their area.

The competition engages all age groups and all abilities and there are several sections which include: