Kerry council may foot €4m pool bill

Fears for the future of a €5m swimming pool complex in Ballybunion could lead to Kerry Co Council being forced to pay almost €4m to the Government.

The local authority is not involved in the management of the health and leisure centre in the tourist town.

But following the failure of the €6m Jeanie Johnson replica Famine ship project some years ago, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism sought a pay-back guarantee from the council on the Ballybunion Health and Leisure Centre amenity.

The centre closed on Monday with a sign on the door indicating a “power failure, with apologies for any inconvenience caused”.

Built as a community and tourist facility, the centre is run by Bevely Ltd, a local development company in Ballybunion. Management and board members could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

Senior county council management is seeking a full report from Bevely on the situation.

The spectre of a repeat of the failed Jeanie Johnston project, which cost the county council and Tralee Town Council €6m, was raised by Independent councillor Brendan Cronin.

He had strongly opposed both the Jeanie Johnson and Ballybunion projects.

He recalled some of the conditions under which the department provided the €3.8m funding in 2005 for the health and leisure complex.

“A key condition was if the project failed within 15 years, the council would have to repay the grant, or take over the running of the project,” Mr Cronin said.

The council also leased 2.75 acres to Bevely for the building, which includes a 20-metre pool, jacuzzi, treatment rooms and a gymnasium, and is used by people from north Kerry and west Limerick.

A council spokesman told the Irish Examiner the council had no involvement in the day-to-day operation of the centre, and had no directors on its board.

A spokesman said it would be premature to make any comment in relation to the guarantee, which he described as an “operational guarantee”.

Ballybunion is in the constituency of Arts and Heritage Minister Jimmy Deenihan who, it is understood, had a meeting with the centre’s directors earlier this week.

Mr Cronin called on Bevely to take responsibility and to respond to the council’s request for clarification.

“The company must be completely open and give us the full picture. There’s no point in hiding, or running away,” he said.