Regeneration agency hopes sports centre will be finished by end of month

WORK is being finalised on fitting out a major indoor sports and recreation centre for young people living in Southill and Ballinacurra Weston.

The Southside Regeneration Agency hope the 26,000sq ft centre will be completed by the end of this month.

The agency has taken a three-year lease on the old Fulflext facility in Galvone with an option to extend the period.

It will provide soccer pitches, dance studio, games rooms with internet access and a young people’s cafe.

Limerick Youth Service will take charge of the facility which is expected to be fully operational by the end of September. It is also planned to appoint a full-time manager.

Assistant director of the Southside Regeneration Agency, Kieran Ryan, said the opening of the new development was another demonstration of their commitment to the areas which they are now working to transform through new housing and a wide range of community facilities.

Mr Ryan said a number of other community facilities are planned for Moyross and Southill.

Hyde Rangers football club have built new dressing room facilities through the assistance of the regeneration agency.

The regeneration agency is also working to replace three CCTV camera poles which were recently damaged in Southill when a stolen dumper was used to ram them.

All the cameras were put out of action.

Gardaí suspect a local drugs gang of damaging the system due to close monitoring, if permitted, of dealers moving around estates in the area.

The agency installed a CCTV system throughout Southill last year at a cost of €400,000.

The 25 poles carry a bank of cameras which feed round-the-clock video coverage into a central control room.

Gardaí are now able to assess video footage when investigating incidents in Southill.