Council to decide on future of public pool

Eoin English

City councillors voted last night to hold a private meeting on Monday to consider a range of options to secure the future of the dilapidated Gus Healy pool in Douglas.

Its roof is in poor condition, opening hours have been cut back and finances at the facility are so bad, it may have to close in August, councillors heard at last night's council meeting.

Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune launched a new drive during the meeting to secure the pool's future.

It follows a letter from Sports Minister John O'Donoghue in which he claimed the council did not apply for funding under his department's pool programme before the July 31, 2000 deadline.

But Cork's city manager Joe Gavin, who was not in the job at that time, said last night that as far as he was aware, a council delegation had met the Minister to discuss funding for the Douglas pool before the deadline. "What did they go for?" Mr Gavin asked.

However, Councillor Clune said it was time to grapple with the issue and deliver a pool for Douglas.

She asked Mr Gavin to prepare a report for councillors outlining a range of options.

Plans to keep the pool in public ownership, which would require council borrowing, and the manager's favoured public private partnership (PPP) option will be up for discussion.

Mr Gavin said councillors have to make their minds up about what they want for Douglas pool.

They voted against a PPP deal with Swimworld Galway earlier this year that could have delivered a new pool, at no cost to the council.

"Do you want a state-of-art facility with guaranteed public hours, certain controls on price that is achievable. You can deliver that it you want," Mr Gavin said. Councillor Tim Brosnan (FF) said the city should consider selling the valuable pool site and use the proceeds to build a water park facility in Mahon.

Councillor Colm Burke (FG) criticised the government for not making funding available.

"They've ploughed 50 million into one centre in Dublin that's a national disaster," he said.

"And we can't even get 4m for a pool that caters for 20 schools." in the second city."

Aidan Lougheed, spokesperson for Sunday's Well Swimming Club, described the whole issue as a "fiasco."

"The PPP option will out-price clubs and schools who use it," he said.

"If the council can spend 6m doing up Blackrock Castle and take a loan to do the courthouse, they can borrow for the pool."