Clara pool to close as refurbishment work set to begin
Plans to carry out major refurbishment works at Clara swimming pool reached a significant milestone this week, with an announcement that work is to begin in just over a fortnight.
The pool is to officially close its doors on Sunday week, October 12, with work set to begin on Monday, October 20. It’s expected the refurbishment that’s set to cost some €1.1m will be completed by September 2015.
Last October the project was granted funding of €784,000 by the Department of Tourism and Sport. The project is also the recipient of funding from the National Lottery and Offaly County Council, but the shortfall will be made up as a result of local fundraising.
“Our challenge now is to provide the local contribution towards the cost of the project,” board of management chairman Billy O’Brien admitted this week.
He explained that a major fundraising effort is required to ensure the town gets a first class swimming pool that will serve the local community for years to come, and said a number of events are planned for the next twelve months to meet the local contribution target of €50,000.
Clara’s 25m, four-lane swimming pool has been an integral part of life in the town since 1971, and has provided a very valuable service for both local people and schools. Work on it over the next year is to include a new roof, new tiling, new changing facilities and the development of its car park.
Fundraising to help meet the costs of the revamp will begin on Saturday week, October 11, with a 'Walk the Plank’ event in which local celebrities and community notables will be at the mercy of the local population. Later on the same evening a pool volleyball event has been organised, at which participants will take part in a splashathon from 7pm.
The highlight of the fundraising weekend, and the pool’s final weekend of operation before closure, will be a final swim on October 12. At that event people will get the opportunity for a final dip to mark the end of the current pool’s 43 year service to the community.
“Everyone is encouraged to participate in the fun and craic over the weekend while helping to kickstart the challenging fundraising target of €50,000,” Billy said. “The board of management of Clara swimming pool desperately needs the backing of everyone in the local area and right throughout the midlands over the course of the next twelve months.”
More information is available by calling the pool on 057 9330063, emailing claraswimpool@eircom.net or checking out the 'Clara Swimming Pool’ page on Facebook.