Contracts to be signed for new swimming pool
COUNCIL EXPECTS COMPLETION WITHIN 15 MONTHS
THE FORMAL CONTRACTS for the town's new swimming pool are expected to be signed later this week.
New Ross Town Council say they then expect to turn the first sod about a week later. It is expected that the new facility will take between 12 to 15 months to build.
'We have one contractor selected and they are in the process of a number of presigning formalities, which have to be concluded,' explained Town Clerk, David Minogue.
The proposed pool has been allocated €3.8 million in funding under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
The substantial allocation amounts to 80 per cent of the estimated costs of the pool. The new pool facility, which will cost an estimated €5 million, will feature three separate pools, a 25 metre by 12 metre main pool, with a maximum depth of two meters at the deep end, a children's pool and a separate learning pool. The Town Council also propose to develop a modern gym area as part of the facility.
The new swimming pool, which is to be built on the Ring Road on grounds owned by Good Counsel College, will be a modern replacement for the John F Kennedy Swimming Pool on Barrack Lane, which has served the people of the New Ross area for over 40 years.
The council say they have not yet 'fully decided' what will happen to the current pool on Barrack Lane, when the new facility opens.
'We are anxious to find a proper use for it. It won't improve once it's vacated and it won't be used after 15 months time. We are considering what options we have as it is an important site in the middle of the town,' added the Town Clerk.
- ELAINE FURLONG
