Campaign for new pool/ sports complex has entered next phase - MPAG
The campaign for a new swimming pool and sports complex for Mullingar has entered a new phase now that the project has reached the design stage.
That's according to Lisa Corcoran, chair of the Mullingar Pool Action Group (MPAG), who was part of a group of campaigners that met with council officials and other stakeholders earlier this month.
Speaking after the meeting – which was also attended by Barry Kehoe, CEO of WCC, Anne Marie Corroon (WCC), Jean Ryan, newly appointed Director of Services for WCC, Minister Peter Burke, Deputy Robert Troy, as well as representatives from architects Henry J Lyons and consultancy firm Knight Kavanagh & Page – MPAG chairperson Lisa Corcoran said it “marks the start of the next chapter in the provision of a new swimming pool”.
“For us as a group, the first chapter over the past two years centred around highlighting a need, addressing a need, and advocating on behalf of the Mullingar community for a new swimming pool.
“We feel that, in many ways, this has now been achieved. Meetings were held with two consecutive Ministers for Sport: Minister Jack Chambers and Minister Thomas Byrne. A soon-to-be-published sports needs assessment has been completed, with contributions from hundreds of people across the wider community, and, finally, a provisional design has been drafted showing how the new sports complex will look at the site in Blackhall.
“As a group, we are now looking forward to the next chapter: getting the new swimming pool built. We are acutely aware that this could take up to five years, and we welcomed WCC's detailed presentation on how this will be achieved. Throughout, WCC have been receptive to our input and are keen to have MPAG included as a key stakeholder on this project, which can only bode well for the community as a whole.
“Obviously, funding for a capital project of this scale will be critical to delivering it on time. As a community group, we feel it is extremely important to keep pushing for this, and we will continue to work with WCC at every stage to ensure this project is delivered for Mullingar.”