€1m budget to fund 14 park rangers around county

A BUDGET of €1m for park rangers in South Dublin County will be used to fund 14 park rangers around the county, according to South Dublin County Council.

The 14 park rangers are based in a number of depots in local parks, with four based in Tymon, six in Corkagh depot and four in the Grange depot at Griffeen Valley Park.

A total of €1,065,500 has been ring-fenced for the council’s park rangers’ service in this year’s budget for South Dublin County Council. Fianna Fáil Councillor Charlie O’Connor submitted a query about this last month and asked for details on the use of the funding.

“The funding allocated to this service through the revenue budget covers staff wages, a small portion of staff salaries, materials and PPE, a contribution to machinery yard costs in respect of vehicles provided and a contribution to other depot costs such as energy and utilities,” stated South Dublin County Council.

While the rangers are based in depots in larger parks around the county, they are also tasked with maintaining other smaller neighbourhood parks, such as Bancroft, Kiltipper, Killinarden and Butler McGee.

The council added: “[The park rangers’] patrols are determined by supervisory staff taking consideration of the current need in each location at any given time.

“Ballymount Park, which is in the Tallaght area, is patrolled by rangers based in Corkagh depot.”

As reported in The Echo last February, park rangers in Tymon Park and Corkagh Park have traded the more traditional methods of travelling around parks, such as in council vans, for eco-friendly e-bikes.

The bikes were funded by the council’s Climate Innovation Fund, and they provide the rangers with greater access and visibility of their parks as they can travel in areas where vans cannot.