Clansman’s Engine Fire

We are all aware one of the Clansman’s engines went on fire last  Sunday, enroute to Tiree, and she had to return  to Oban for repairs
She has been out of service since, and on current prospects Wed 5th June will be the earliest  we can expect her to return into service
TCC has chastised CalMac for lack of ,and  sometimes conflicting information ,also  wishful thinking re her return to service.
CalMac has now offered this more detailed information :-
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You may be aware that last Sunday (26th) the MV Clansman suffered a significant failure of the Starboard main engine, and that she has been out of service since while work has been going on to investigate the cause and carry out repairs. 
Given the seriousness of the failure, it was considered prudent to check other parts of the engine to see if remedial action was required elsewhere, to avoid further issues, and possible disruption in the future, especially as we move towards the very busy summer months. 
Regrettably these investigations have identified the need for additional work, ( a number of engine liners have found to be damaged)  and, as a consequence, the MV Clansman is not expected to return to service, subject to successful sea trials, until Wednesday 5th June.
In the meantime we have put in place a plan to redeploy some vessels and operate amended timetables across a number of routes which ensure all lifeline services are being maintained.
Details can be found on our website at www.calmac.co.uk, but the key elements are:
• The return Oban-Colonsay sailings on Sunday ( June 2)are cancelled and Monday’s (June 3) service will operate from Kennacraig. This is to allow shipment of essential fuel for generators on the island.
• Some sailings on the Ardrossan-Brodick route will be cancelled on Monday and Tuesday. (June 3 & 4)
• Next week’s Lochboisdale-Mallaig services will operate to/from Oban until the MV Clansman returns to service.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused, but trust that everyone will recognise that taking steps to minimise the possibility of a future breakdown at a busy time of year, is the prudent thing to do.
 

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Your Phone Box Needs You

Your phone box needs you!
The project to restore our island telephone boxes is ready to start, and all we need is a little help…

Tiree Community Council have co-opted John Patience to coordinate the project, and we are now looking for volunteers who are interested in being involved in restoring the telephone box nearest to them, or one which they are particularly fond of. We hope that if enough people are interested, each community will be able to take charge of their own box.

We will need leaders, painters, planners, DIYers, dreamers, tea-makers and bakers… in short anyone is welcome!

The Community Council Coordinator will work with each team to coordinate replacement parts and paint, professional help with electrics, doors and joinery, and provide general guidance and help as it is needed.

Each team will restore their box using a guide that has been drawn up after an extensive audit of the Tiree telephone boxes.

Once the repairs are complete, it gets really fun! It will be up to each team to decide:
What colour the box is
How it is decorated
Whether or not it has a theme, a task or a role
What it does/offers/represents

What about a beach box, a library, a coffee stop, a museum, a mini gallery… The options are endless! We really hope that this project will not only showcase the incredible skills and enthusiasm of our community, but also that it will ensure that the telephone boxes remain part of our landscape for the foreseeable future.

How do I get involved?
Email johnpatience@tireecommunitycouncil.co.uk and tell him which box you would like to be involved in helping with. If there are a group of you ready and willing to get involved, so much the better!

Then what?
Once we have enough interest, we will hold a meeting for the teams and go through what needs to be done.

What about doors, and glass, and electrics, and…?
We have written up an action plan for each box, with guidance, and we will make sure that you have help and advice when you need it. We are planning to get professional help for some of the tasks. We won’t leave you stuck!

Who’s paying for this?
We are working on raising the funds needed to pay for the items needed to do the repairs.

I don’t want to do any repair work, but I’d like to contribute financially
Fantastic! We need that type of help too! Please feel free to email John with any pledges. We anticipate needing to raise £10,000 to complete this project and every little helps.

Tell me more!
Sure thing – check out the Tiree Community Council website for the entire project document: www.tireecommunitycouncil.co.uk

CMAL repair plans for the Old Pier

CMal held a pop-in presentation at the Pier office on Wed 15th May outlining their proposed repair works (£800K) for the Old Pier to be completed this summer.

CMal presentation for Old Pier 15 may 2019

Originally the Old Pier was to be used to facilitate Tiree’s  LinkSpan replacement planned for the weeks prior to Easter 2020 , but use of the Old Pier has been’ engineered‘ out of the project and will only be used to store the linkspan over the winter .

The Tiree l/span  is currently  being fabricated.It will be shipped to Tiree at the same time as the Coll replacement l/span which is being replaced this autumn.

Refurbishment of Old Pier @ Gott Bay   CMAL  Drop-In-Meeting  Wed 15th 

Refurbishment of Old Pier @ Gott Bay   CMAL  Drop-In-Meeting  Wed 15th

CMAL  project manager for the Tiree Old Pierhead repair works (Ruairidh Campbell) is going to hold a drop-in session at the Tiree ferry terminal next Wednesday (15th May) between 2pm and 4pm.  He will be accompanied by CalMac, CMAL’s consultant (Mott MacDonald) and CMAL’s contractor (George Leslie).

The intention of the session is to give people the opportunity to meet the team that will be working on the project and to look at the detail of the works that will be undertaken on site in Tiree.

Details of proposed work can be seen on:

ps://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB346726

Argyll Air Services Saved

A&BC made this announcement Fri 4th May

Interim contract agreed for Coll, Colonsay and Tiree air services

The subsidised air services from Oban to Coll, Colonsay and Tiree will continue after Argyll and Bute Council  agreed an interim contract with Hebridean Air.

Hebridean Air will continue to operate the flights from 16 May, while the council now undertakes the evaluation stage of the procurement process for a new four-year contract. The deadline for tenders being submitted for the second round of procurement passed on 2 May.

There had been concerns that services would be interrupted by strict funding legislation after an initial procurement process for the four-year contract failed to attract an acceptable bid.

However, council officers and staff at Hebridean Air worked hard behind the scenes to prevent that scenario, and we are pleased to be able to confirm that there will be no such interruption.

An update on the four-year contract will be provided in due course, once the outcome of the second procurement process has been fully assessed.

The interim service offers an amended number of flights, although flights for school pupils travelling to Oban have been secured as a priority.

Details on Hebridean Air’s current and interim services can be found here: http://bookhebridean.co.uk