District council gives fresh hope for West Waterford swimming pools
Funding schemes may be available for both pools. Stock Image.
There is new hope for the reopening of the outdoor swimming facility that closed in Dungarvan in the 1980s.
Councillor Damien Geoghegan asked at the September sitting of the Dungarvan-Lismore District Council that options be explored for bringing it back into use.
He also pointed out that a considerable amount of money has been spent by the council and the Office of Public Works on reinforcing the walls, meaning some work has already been completed.
“Dungarvan’s is one of the finest in the country. It was a real pity seeing it closing. And as I said, people my age would have fond memories of it.
"A couple of generations of people in Dungarvan won’t remember it. Any time it's mentioned on social media or in discussions with people lamenting the fact that it closed,” said Cllr Geoghegan.
Cllr Geoghegan said the facility was closed by the Urban Town Council in 1985 as it had fallen into serious disrepair.
This was the case for many such facilities around the country, some of which have had successful reopenings and he said that the outdoor swimming facility in Tramore is very popular.
Cllr Geoghegan said he did not think there was any need for feasibility studies and there was expertise in the council.
He asked that the council explore what grants are available and said: “I’m sure it will be immensely popular once again.”
Dungarvan Lismore District Manager and Director of Planning, Corporate, Culture, HR & IS, Ivan Grimes, said that they would look into a scheme available for such facilities.
The manager also gave an update on the proposal for the Dungarvan swimming pool proposal.
Mr Grimes said that he had been made aware of a scheme that might be suitable for funding the project.
To that end, he had asked the consultants who carried out the feasibility study in 2023 to review the report and see what had changed in the last couple of years.
Mr Grimes said he expected that the costs would have gone up in line with construction inflation and that there will need to be pre-planning works carried out before any applications can be made.
“I expect it to be a reasonably short piece of work. They don’t have to consult people. They don’t have to meet groups. They have done all of that two years ago and those aspects of the report are still valid,” said Mr Grimes.
