Authority to splash out €150,000 to cover pool costs

A LOCAL authority is planning to spend €150,000 plugging a hole in the finances of a pool complex less than six months after it opened.

The day-to-day running costs of the Churchfield Leisure Complex on Cork’s northside, which opened in July, are exceeding income, city manager Joe Gavin said.

Not enough people are using the pool and gym facility, he said. The situation has cast doubt over the city’s involvement in municipal pools.

Opening hours and staff numbers have been slashed at the loss-making council-run Gus Healy pool in Douglas.

Mr Gavin said: “If, in the longer term, there remains major spare capacity in Churchfield Pool, questions arise as to whether there is justification for providing a further municipal pool.”

The details about Churchfield emerged yesterday when the city council’s Budget 2006 booklet was made available.

“It was expected that the day-to-day running costs would be met from the revenues generated from the operation of the complex,” Mr Gavin said in a report.

“However, this has not proved to be the case. The utilisation of the pool is far less than expected and running costs are exceeding income.”

Mr Gavin said he has included €150,000 in next year’s budget to be paid as a start-up grant to Leisureworld, the company managing the complex.

Councillors will be asked to vote on the grant at next Monday’s budget meeting.

The state-of-the-art complex was developed at a cost of €9.3m.

The full building costs were met by the government and the council which allowed the complex open debt free in July.

A local campaign driven by Socialist Party Cllr Mick Barry was launched almost immediately calling on Leisureworld to slash prices.

But Fine Gael Cllr Jerry Buttimer, a Leisureworld board member, accused Mr Barry of orchestrating a campaign against the Churchfield facility.

“Undue influence is being put on people by people who should know better,” he said. He declined to be drawn on whether or not he would recommend price cuts at a board meeting tonight.

“I would support any mechanism that would encourage people into the pool,” he said.

But Mr Gavin said he hoped that with promotion and as people become more aware of the facility, there will be a significant uptake in the use of the pool and other facilities.

“If this should not be the case, we will have to review the situation.”