NAAS, 6 July 2001: by Brian Byrne. The new Naas Sports Centre was officially opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today during a whirlwind tour of the Kildare North constituency.
The centre, when completed, will include four all-weather football fields, a running track, open stadium area for discus, shot and javelin, two five-a-side outdoor football pitches, and the sports hall and changing rooms which are already built.
T
he original construction programme from April 2000 was badly put awry by the invasion of the Caragh Road sports grounds by travelling merchants last year. But John J Dunne, secretary/director of the Naas Sports Group Ltd (pictured right with members of the Healy family from Naas Hockey Club) said it is 'really great' that they had finally reached this stage.
"It's been 10 years of working, and we'd been looking for it for a long time before that," he said at the opening event.
The building work was carried out by John Ryan's Rydel Construction and the completed project will have cost £1.4m. Naas UDC provided £500,000 and £350,000 was from Lottery funds and £100,000 from the group's own funding. A further £550,000 was provided through the good offices of the minister for finance, Charlie McCreevy TD.
The Naas Sports Group comprises Naas Hockey Club, Naas Athletic Club, and Naas AFC.
John Dunne thanked all the patrons and sponsors, and those companies and individuals who gave cash and benefit in kind through the campaign to get the project up and running.
Project managers were Holohan Architects. Cathy O'Brien will take up the position of centre manager on 14 July. She was previously Leisure Club manager at the Holiday Inn in Killarney. A FAS scheme under the Social Economy Programme will allow the group to employ up to five staff to further develop the grounds.
Above - taoiseach Bertie Ahern during a tour of the premises with Naas UDC chairman Willie Callaghan and John J Dunne.
©2001/knn