"It's time to turn this positive into the success it should be," chairman of the leisure group Ben Lynch said, as contracts for the new leisure centre in Mitchelstown were signed this week with MMD Construction.

Gathered in The Firgrove Hotel on Monday evening to witness the event were the group's secretary Katherine Cahill, committee members and representatives of former committee members who'd passed away. Staunch supporters of the project - Canon Tim O'Leary, Sadie Allen of Ballyhoura Development, the chairman of Mitchelstown Forum Liam O'Doherty and deputy Tom Barry TD and county councillor Kevin O'Keefe were also present.

"It hasn't been an easy journey, we made mistakes along the way," Ben Lynch told those assembled, adding that they had had successes too, such as building up a great landbank and their fundraising efforts having gone well.

Kevin O'Leary of MMD congratulated the leisure group on getting the project going and said the company look forward to working with all involved. "Hopefully in 11 months we will be standing up there looking at the finished building," he remarked.

Tom Barry TD said it was a fantastic achievement for a group such as this. "The outcome will be great, offering facilities other areas will want to emulate. It will compliment other facilities in the catchment area." he said.

Cllr Kevin O'Keeffe said the project was finally getting underway after a protracted period of time. He hoped the resulting facilities would be to everyone's benefit and wished the group all the best in bringing it to completion.

On the same day the contracts were signed, MMD moved onto the Canon's Field site, clearing it in advance of beginning the building work. And so, after more than a quarter of a century of planning, fundraising, delays and frustration, Mitchelstown is to finally get its own state-of-the-art leisure centre.

With work now underway, group members will be turning their attention to the type of activities the centre can be used for. They've said they want the new facilities to be as inclusive as possible, catering for all sectors of the community across a range of sports and leisure activities.

blog comments powered by Disqus