Coolnafranky residents take DfI to task

RESIDENTS in Cookstown have expressed their disappointment with DfI Roads after they self-funded and undertook a major clean-up operation in the area due to ‘limited budget and resources’ within the department.

To date the Committee of Coolnafranky Park have spent approximately £3,000 clearing footpaths and roadsides of weeds, which had been sprayed by DfI but not cleaned up.

Chair of the committee, Tanya Quinn, had previously contacted DfI regarding the unsightly state that the Cookstown housing estate had fallen into.

In an email response seen by this newspaper a DfI Officer stated, “Whilst I do appreciate that weeds are unsightly throughout urban and rural developments, unfortunately our limited budget and resources means that we are currently only able to spray the weeds.”

The email further stated that whilst resources are “next to none,” DfI were appreciative of the residents’ “willingness to help.”

According to Ms Quinn, despite DfI’s efforts, spraying the weeds did not get rid of them, and they just looked worse.

“Last year, we won an award for ‘Best Kept Housing Area’ in the town, but less than a month ago, some of us were embarrassed to say we live here due to the state of the place,” explained Ms Quinn.

“People pay their rates for a reason and we all want one thing, and that is to be proud of where we live.”

Residents of Rockdale Close in the village of Rock just outside Cookstown have been facing similar issues.

One local resident, Colm Mullan, runs his own property maintenance business and offered to undertake the work himself, informing DfI that he would send them the bill or, alternatively, take them to small claims court.

In response to an email from Mr Mullan, a DfI officer said that given the current budgets and resources, the cleaning of footways is not a high priority area of work at present, but that they planned to carry out some cleaning of the footways in Rockdale Close within the next few weeks.

When contacted by this newspaper, a DfI spokesperson added, “The Department inspects and maintains footways in accordance with our limited service maintenance policy, which is the result of significant budget shortfalls over the past number of years, due to cuts by the British Government. This means that we will be continuing to repair only the highest priority defects.

“Weed spraying is ongoing throughout the council area during the growing season, however it is also weather dependant.”