Thousands attend centre reopening

IT took about a year and a half, but Shannon Leisure Centre has finally reopened, with thousands of people turning out for the official opening last Saturday.
Sixteen full-time and six to eight part-time positions have been created following the €1.4 million redevelopment and the centre now includes a 25m swimming pool, gymnasium, skate park, climbing wall, two sports halls, dance studio, floodlit outdoor tennis courts, a café/relaxation area, steam and sauna rooms and wet and dry changing rooms.
Reverend Bob Hanna and Shannon parish priest Tom Ryan blessed the centre, before it was officially opened by Defence Minister Tony Killeen. The opening ceremony was followed by a free fun day.
Initially, the redevelopment was to be completed within 20 weeks, but there was a lengthy delay due to a dispute between the contractor and the board of the leisure centre. The delay in the reopening led to a Facebook campaign and a public protest outside a meeting of Shannon Town Council earlier this year.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Killeen stressed the importance of sport and recreation.
“The official opening event marks the culmination of the latest chapter in the ongoing development of facilities at the centre. I commend all of the members of the community for their vision, commitment and dedication in continuing to improve this excellent facility for the people of Shannon. Sport is an invaluable tool for developing physical and mental health, for both young and old. It is also vital that the foundations for active participation in sport and physical activity are laid in the early years of childhood and maintained in adulthood,” he said.
Mayor of Shannon, Tony Mulcahy also welcomed the opening of the facility. “The sense of community engendered by a community facility such as this cannot be underestimated. I have no doubt that it will have a positive social impact on Shannon and surrounding areas. This swimming and leisure centre also provides a positive focal point for the community and will encourage children and adults to adopt a healthy lifestyle, as well as make Shannon a more vibrant place to live in and a more attractive place for visitors to the town.
“On behalf of Shannon Town Council and its members, I would like to sincerely congratulate everyone associated with delivering this fantastic new community facility. I am sure the benefits that will be gained by local people and visitors to the town from using the facilities will more than compensate for the considerable effort and financial resources involved in bringing the facility into use.”
Centre manager Karl Fogarty said the opening day had been successful. “The day was a huge success for everyone involved with Shannon Swimming and Leisure Centre. Between four and five thousand people visited the facilities on Saturday and we were delighted to see many faces from outside the Shannon area also attend. We also received a significant number of membership subscriptions over the weekend, which bodes well for the future of this new community facility.”