This article is from page 27 of the 2007-03-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 27 JPG
PLANS are underway for a west Clare community facility to provide offices and working space for the many voluntary organisations in the area.
Joe Saunders, who carried out the feasibility study for such a facil- ity, told Kilrush Town Council that there are more than 100 community groups registered in Kilrush and a further 60 to 70 groups in the wider west Clare area.
There are 15 organisations in total with their own staff, needing premis- oe
To date there are eight buildings hosting community groups in Kil- Murs ee
The consultant said that as the town changed and grew there was a need for a place where civil marriages could be performed.
Outlining the gravity of the situ- ation he said the Gardai in Kilrush have nowhere to address the local public outside the cells in the sta- tion.
Meanwhile artists have to exhibit their work in inadequate facilities or move outside the area.
He said that as the voluntary sec- tor is becoming more professional it needs proper facilities.
“A hotel conference centre would meet some of the needs but a lot of eroups would like to be with like minded groups,” he said.
In his report Mr Saunders con-
cluded that the current community and training services accommoda- tion base in Kilrush and west Clare is considered generally unsuited to the task of serving the sector over the next decade.
“Already organisations with a sig- nificant remit and serving large num- bers are finding the available accom- modation to be an impediment to maintaining and developing services to their target groups. In addition, newer organisations are coming on stream as the not-for-profit and train- ing sectors grow in size nationally,’ he said.
Mr Saunders said that a communi- ty facility would probably have core tenants that would have contracts of service agreement the would provide
funding for ongoing rental charges.
“The capital element of the project will need to be provided through lo- cal and national exchequer routes,” he said.
“Ownership structure and ongoing management will require negotiation between core tenants and relevant stakeholders.”
Town Manager Bernadette Kinsella said west Clare was suffering due to a lack of integrated facilities.
She said that Mr Saunders report confirmed the view that there was a deficit in this area.
“Now we will go back to the eroups, look at what a facility would look like, who would fund it, and audit where it might be located,” Ms Kinsella said.