Written Answers. - Athlone (Westmeath) Sports Centre.
Mary O'Rourke
Question:
178
Mrs. O'Rourke
asked the
Minister for Education
the progress, if any, which has been made in respect of the regional sports centre in Athlone, County Westmeath, from the date it was first announced; the Ministers for Education who progressed this project; the Minister for Education who announced the first major lottery funding for the project; if this major funding is still in place; the date of this announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[9802/96]
A grant of £1.5 million was allocated to Westmeath County Council, towards the cost of providing a regional sports centre in Athlone under this Department's major sports capital programme and the announcement of the grant was made by the then Minister for Education Deputy Mary O'Rourke, in March 1988.
Planning for the project is being undertaken by a design team, commissioned by Athlone Urban District Council, as client for the project, in consultation with my Department.
The original brief for this project included a multi-purpose indoor sports hall and outdoor playing pitches. Following a planning process by the local authority it was agreed in 1990, in consultation with my Department, to invite proposals for the project from the private sector on the basis of a design, construct, finance and manage package. Only one private sector proposal was received and this was subsequently found to be unacceptable.
Due to the length of time which had elapsed since the initial grant allocation Athlone UDC undertook a feasibility study which concluded that the project should comprise a new 25 metre swimming pool to replace the existing swimming pool which was built in the late 1970s in view of the fact that a multi-purpose indoor sports hall had, in the meantime, been provided by my Department in the Athlone regional technical college.
This revised brief, including the outdoor pitches, was agreed with Athlone UDC in late 1994 and my Department confirmed that the grant of £1.5 million was still available for the project. In April 1995 Athlone UDC submitted drawings and a cost plan for the project which indicated a total estimated cost of £3.5 million and an additional grant of £1 million was sought.
Provision has recently been made in the context of the 1996 funding arrangements for the major facilities scheme to increase the grant for this project by £1 million which increases the total grant to £2.5 million.
My Department is in communication with Athlone UDC to progress the project through the remaining planning stages with a view to construction of the regional sports centre at the earliest possible date.
