Official opening of nenagh park and pool
It was a case of congratulations all around when Nenagh’s new town park
and re-designed leisure centre were officially opened by the Minister for the
Environment Alan Kelly on Monday.
Not everything went to plan, though. There was a funny moment when the Minister and his Labour Party colleague, the former Nenagh councillor Lalor McGee, were unveiling the plaque specially erected to mark the opening. As they both pulled the chord to draw open the red curtain over the plaque, the entire covering collapsed to the ground. The episode caused much laughter from the attendance, who had gathered for the auspicious occasion – but it was a minor belly flop beside a swimming pool that has been utterly and impressively transformed as part of a total investment of €2.15m.
Speaking later at a celebratory lunch before invited guests in the Abbey Court Hotel, the Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council Joe MacGrath described the official opening as a great day for Nenagh. He said the new facility was grant aided to the tune of €400,000 from the Sports Capital Grants Scheme while the former Nenagh Town Council and new Nenagh Municipal Council
invested €770,000. Since the improvement works had taken place there had been a 34% increase in the numbers of people using the leisure centre. This figure did not include the large numbers of people using the adjoining town park.
Thanking everyone involved in bringing the plans to fruition, Mr MacGrath
concluded: “The park will be there for generations coming after us and that is
something to be proud of.”
Minister Kelly said the offical opening was a fantastic day for all involved; he was privileged to play a role in providing the facilities. He said planners from other areas of the country were now coming to visit the facility to see how similar integrated amenities could be developed in their towns. The project was a huge
credit to everyone involved. The minister said the contract for the facility was €2.15m. Some €400,000 of that figure had come from the Sports Capital Grants Scheme, which was the largest allocation nationally at the time it was announced, and when he himself held a junior portfolio in the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport.
Minister Kelly paid particular tribute to the Nenagh councillors and former councillors who served in the five year period up to 2014, who, he said, had
the vision to see the project to fruition. Without their determination the upgrade of the Leisure Centre and development of the park would never have
taken place. He singled out his own Labour Party colleague, Lalor McGee, who, he said, had done an incredible amount of work to secure a park for the town, including organising a petition which was signed by 2,500 people. “Without him this project certainly would not have happened, and I mean that.”
The Chairman of Tipperary County Council Councillor Michael Fitzgerald said the new facility was a major asset for Nenagh;the huge numbers using it since it opened last October was testament to its quality and attractiveness.
Fr Des Hillery, the Parish Priest of Nenagh, officially blessed the new amenity and paid tribute to the many generations that had developed the leisure facility into what it is today. He noted that his own relation, a local Catholic curate Fr Michael Hillery, was involved in the development of the first outdoor pool on the site over a half century ago.
The plans for the park and redesigned leisure centre were devised by ABK Architects of Dublin who, coincidentlly, also designed the plans for the Civic
Offices on the Limerick Road. The contractor was the Longford based firm, PJ McLoughlin & Sons and the landscape achitects were Stephen Diamond Associates.