ESB today joined Kilmurry McMahon National School pupils, teachers, parents and local representatives to open a footpath it has funded between the school and the community centre.
Following a schools amalgamation two years ago which led to additional space constraints, Physical Education lessons have taken place in the local community centre. Given there was no footpath between the two venues, pupils have had to be ferried by car for these lessons.
The ESB funding for the project is a gesture of community goodwill, in recognition of the use of the R485 as a transit route for a new wind farm at Moneypoint power station.
Carmel Hegarty, Principal at Kilmurry McMahon National School, said: “This footpath provides ready access from the school to the local community centre, which the school can use for PE lessons and extra-curricular activities such as concerts. Heretofore we have had to rely on the goodwill and availability of the parents to ferry the children, class by class, up and down to the hall. We are very grateful to ESB for the provision of this footpath.”
Station Manager at ESB Moneypoint added: “The project ties in with a number of our core principles at ESB – safety, sustainability and well-being – and it was great to see the project come to full fruition this afternoon. As the school is on the transport route for turbines to the Moneypoint site, we were very happy to support the building of the footpath, which of course will facilitate pupils’ access to those all-important PE lessons.”
“At ESB, we believe our investments should deliver long term social, economic and environmental benefits for everyone. I take this opportunity to thank the local communities in Clare along the route for their understanding during the construction phase of the wind farm.”
The Moneypoint wind energy project commenced in January 2016, and includes delivery and installation of five wind turbines, each with a 3.45 MW generating capacity. Turbine erection will be completed before Christmas with exported power in 2017. This wind farm will supply enough clean energy to power 10,000 homes.
It is being constructed on the Moneypoint generating station site, which supplies approximately 20 per cent of Ireland’s electricity. The station is a significant player in Co Clare, supporting over 900 jobs in the wider economy and contributing about 30 percent of Clare County Council’s annual commercial rates.