Broadford Sewerage Scheme on hold

IT now seems certain that the Broadford Sewerage Scheme will not go to tender this year due to a delay in securing Government-approved funding totalling €1.1 million for it.

Frustration over the stalemate with the scheme was expressed at a recent Clare County Council meeting, where a number of councillors asked for an update from the council.
Director of water services, David Timlin told councillors the Department of Environment and the council contributed to the capital cost of providing water and sewerage schemes in the county under the Water Services Investment Programme (WSIP).
The contribution made by the council averages about 30% per scheme. Mr Timlin said in the past the council had relied on development contributions to fund its proportion of the capital cost of schemes but noted this source of funding for water services has been almost exhausted and the authority now has to finance its portion through the raising of loans.
Loans totalling €5.9m for water services schemes were approved by the council for 2009 and subsequently drawn down.
Mr Timlin provided a list of the approved schemes, including Clonlara Sewerage Scheme where work is well underway, which needed the council’s approval to raise loans.
He indicated that the loan for Broadford may not be approved until next year.
“The expenditure doesn’t come in until the end of the year. We sent indicative loans to the department. What’s before you only applies to loan approval for this year and I can’t speculate on next year,” he said.
Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Pat Hayes said, “The Broadford scheme is ready to go and it is critical that we keep it at the top of the list. Cooraclare and Broadford have just dropped off the list.”
Councillor Joe Cooney commented, “We were led to believe that the council applied for a loan for this scheme and that it would be on the list”.
Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald asked how long have councillors been waiting for the Broadford Sewerage Scheme and who was picking the schemes for inclusion? He said councillors would now have to tell their constituents that this scheme has been put on the backburner.
Councillor Cooney recently requested the council to put the contract for the Broadford Sewerage Scheme out to tender, even though the council hasn’t secured its element of funding. He argued at a recent Killaloe Electoral Area meeting that there is “good value for money out there at the moment” and urged the council to put the contract to tender in case additional funding is not required.
The council has been advised that €1.1m is available from the Department of Local Government in respect of providing a sewerage scheme in Broadford. However, this is subject to Clare County Council coming up with funding of €200,000.
Seán Ward, senior engineer with Clare County Council, said that the project is not listed on the water services investment programme for 2010-2012.
“We asked for it to remain on that programme so without that, I don’t know how we are going to proceed,” Mr Ward said.
“All planning aspects have been completed and the council has finalised the tender documentation. The council has also applied to the Department of the Environment for a loan to cover their portion of the overall scheme costs in order to advance to contract and are awaiting a response.
“Further advancement of this scheme depends on approval of the loan and the ability of Clare County Council to provide our own proportion of the required funding,” senior executive engineer, Seán Lenihan stated.