Controversial €12m sports centre gets green light

THE green light has finally been given for a controversial €12 million sports centre in Kerry.

Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue has announced that contract documents have been approved for the Killarney Sports and Leisure Complex and the local town council can now seek tenders for the project.

A €1.5 million grant has also been allocated for the “dry” side of the project, under the 2004 Capital Sports Programme, it was confirmed yesterday.

Welcoming the development, Councillor Seán O’Grady, who has been among the leading figures behind the project, said he expected everything to fall into place from now on.

“These facilities are absolutely essential to provide healthy recreation for young people at a time when substance abuse is a serious problem in society,” he said.

The €6.2 million “dry” side of the development includes an international-sized sports hall with seating for 500, a gymnasium, aerobics studio and a crèche. A 25-metre swimming pool is the centrepiece of the €5.7m “wet” side, which will also feature a sauna area.

Mr O’Donoghue said further grants of up to €3.8 million are available for the “wet” side.

The balance of the cost is to the raised by the council through the sale of some of its property in Killarney and a €3 million loan.

The council is also in the process of finalising an agreement with a sports management company to run the facility.

However, a fundraising campaign to collect a local contribution from people in the Killarney has already failed to win support.

Questions have also been raised about the need for a major public pool, with people pointing out that 14 Killarney hotels now have pools, most of which are open to the public.

But project manager Noreen O’Connor said only 3,000 people of the 50,000 population in the Killarney area were members of these pools.

She also said that schools feared they could not implement the new curriculum because of a lack of sports facilities in the area.