elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
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Chapter 7: Social and Community Facilities<br />
7.6 LIBRARY<br />
<strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Council</strong>: Library Services provides for the cultural, education, recreation,<br />
information and learning needs of people of all ages throughout the county and strives to provide and<br />
develop a comprehensive, quality, modern and accessible service. It acts as centre for knowledge and<br />
learning, as a resource for culture, tourism and the imagination, as a resource for children and young<br />
people, as an access to information communication technologies and as a vital community facility and<br />
public space.<br />
The Elphin Library is currently on Main Street and provides multi functional services including<br />
information on tourist amenities and the <strong>local</strong> history on Elphin. There are proposals to move the facility<br />
to the old Courthouse on the Main Street. There is a variety of material on an extensive range of subjects.<br />
The collection development policies are designed to provide an updated and balanced stock across all<br />
<strong>area</strong>s. While books and the printed word remain one of the core mediums, other materials such as<br />
audiotapes, music, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, language learning packages, microfilm and microfiche, prints,<br />
videos and maps are also available.<br />
7.7 BURIAL GROUNDS<br />
The Roads Section of <strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Council</strong> is responsible for regulations in relation to Burial<br />
Grounds. There are two Roman Catholic Church cemeteries located in the town; one at the Church on<br />
Chapel Street and one on the Strokestown Road. There is sufficient burial capacity in the cemetery on the<br />
Strokestown Road. There are also cemeteries at Shankill and Caldragh.<br />
7.8 FIRE SERVICE<br />
The protection of life, property and the environment by the efficient and effective prevention and control<br />
of fires and other emergencies form the main objectives of the Fire Service. <strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Council</strong><br />
maintains six brigades: Castlerea, Elphin, <strong>Roscommon</strong>, Boyle, Ballaghaderreen and Strokestown. In<br />
addition, Athlone Town <strong>Council</strong> provides the service, by Agreement, in the Southern part of the <strong>County</strong>.<br />
The Fire Service in Elphin is located on Bishop Street.<br />
The primary legislation and statutory basis for the Fire Service is the Fire Services Act 1981. It directs both<br />
fire fighting and fire prevention and comes under the control of the Minister of the Environment, Heritage<br />
and Local Government.<br />
7.9 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FORA<br />
There are numerous community groups within Elphin that are actively promoting the town including a<br />
tidy towns group. While there are several small groups, the town lacks a larger development<br />
group/association with responsibility for undertaking broader development objectives.<br />
North <strong>Roscommon</strong> Community Forum (www.nrcf.ie)<br />
North <strong>Roscommon</strong> Community Forum was established in 1997 and its purpose is to give a voice to the<br />
community and voluntary sector in a number of ways. It brings affiliated voluntary and community groups<br />
together so that the forum can present a strong, independent, united voice of the community, share<br />
knowledge and experiences and promote development, growth and change. The Forum is open to a broad<br />
range of community groups and voluntary organisations. Groups already participating include those<br />
involved with community development, community resource centers, social care, young people, heritage,<br />
enterprise development, employment creation, rural tourism groups.<br />
One very important role of the Forum is to facilitate the representation of, and participation by,<br />
community and voluntary groups in the North <strong>Roscommon</strong> <strong>area</strong> in matters relating to the work of<br />
Elphin Local Area Plan <strong>2009</strong>-<strong>2015</strong> Page 67