This article is from page 25 of the 2008-03-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 25 JPG
PLANS to provide a skateboard park as part of major developments at Shannon Leisure Centre have been put on the back-burner after the centre turned down a grant of €50,000 towards the facility.
The funding was to have been provided out of the Town Council’s Community Development fund and had the full support of town man- ager, Ger Dollard, but controversy arose earlier this month about the allocation of the money.
The council had received two let- ters, from Wolfe Tones Camogie
Club and Newtown FC. In their proposals both clubs said they have spent considerable sums on provid- ing facilities but have a shortfall for finishing their projects.
Both asked the Town Council to contribute to their funds. But fund- ing in the Community Develop- ment pot is built up over a number of years and is limited, meaning the Council can only contribute to one major project every five years or so.
Speaking at the March meeting of Shannon Town Council, in her capacity as an elected representa- tive and a member of the board of directors of the Leisure Centre, Cllr
Patricia McCarthy said the solution was for the centre not to avail of the funding.
“At the risk of being accused of having a vested interest in all of this, I want to say that Shannon Le1- sure Centre have no intention of get- ting embroiled in any controversy, ’ she said.
“It was not their desire to seek to gain any preferential treatment. The Town Council was aware that the Leisure Centre were doing a major project. We (the centre) were asked to consider a skateboard park, we considered it. It’s adding a mini- mum of€56,000 on to the bill we
already have.
“We put a request in for money to the town council to support this. The town council agreed. But the board is now seriously concerned about the amount of damage that’s being generated and the amount of ill feeling that’s being generated against the Leisure Centre.
“The simple solution is that the Leisure Centre are quite happy to withdraw their letter and are quite happy to reject the offer of €50,000 and to let the town council provide the skateboard park themselves if they so wish and that will solve it,” she concluded.