Support sought for centre

Community activists in Killaloe and the surrounding areas have joined forces to launch a major fund raising venture to finance the provision of a new community centre costing in the region of €300,000.

A new investors’ club has been set up with a target of raising almost €500,000 over the next three years.
While the venture is being promoted by members of the Smith O’Brien’s GAA Club, the organisers say this new community centre can be used everyone in Killaloe, O’Briensbridge, Bridgetown and surrounding areas once it is built.
The key to the success of this venture lies in the support of the community. The development committee needs 1,000 people to sign up, which, if achieved, will provide a yearly net fund of €163,600. Over the coming weeks, committee members will be going door-to-door asking people to sign up to the club.
The committee are in negotiations with the liquidator appointed to Tom Hayes Limited, Killaloe to purchase land for the centre to the left of the existing Smith O’Brien’s GAA field.
Fundraising committee chairman, Anthony Rodgers, explained the two most vulnerable sections of society, the elderly and young people, need a new centre. Costing over €300,000 to build, the new 700sqm building will include meeting and games rooms, toilets, showers and a kitchen and all facilities will be accessible for people with disabilities.
It will be based on a similar venture in Coleanvalle near Birmingham, which Mr Rodgers saw operating very successfully. He said it was amazing to see elderly people being driven to the centre for a meal, bingo and other activities.
“I think we forgot about our young people and our elderly during the Celtic Tiger. The government has certainly been ignoring their needs.
“This community centre is going to happen because there is a group of people who are committed to making it a success,” he noted.
Former county councillor, Tony O’Brien, recalled that during the boom years, local projects sometimes attracted about half of the overall cost in Government funding. However, he said this has fallen to 20% for major projects and community groups can now only look forward to between 10 and 15% on average in grants due to the lack of money.
“This project will only happen if the entire community gets behind it. The committee accepts there is never a good time to be looking for money, particularly during a recession and for that reason have kept the weekly contribution to just €4,” he noted.
“This centre will be hugely beneficial to the entire Killaloe parish and surrounding areas. This plan has been about two years in the making. While Smith O’Brien’s GAA club will be used as the umbrella group, this will be a community facility.
“About 10 members of the committee are not members of the GAA club. They are people with young families in Killaloe who want to be able to send their children to an alcohol free disco where the gates are closed and where they can play safely indoors regardless of the weather,” he said.
Anyone who wishes to become a member can contact Tony O’Brien at 087 8225986 or Pat Reddan at 087 8392793.