This article is from page 19 of the 2006-06-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
MORE than 10,000 people utilised the facilities at Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park in its first 12 months of operation, according to figures released this week by Ennis Town Council. And work is to start shortly on a €90,000 skateboard park at the Drumcliffe facility, it has been announced.
The local authority celebrated a successful first year of operation by hosting an open day at the Park last Sunday.
The aim of the event, a spokesman for the Lees Road said, was “to promote the facilities and raise awareness that both passive and active recreational needs are catered for at the park.”
Up to 70 different school groups, sporting organisations and clubs have utilised the park’s facilities since it was officially opened in June 2005.
The park, which is located on a site of approximately 134 acres at Drumcliffe, currently offers four conventional playing pitches, a floodlit all-weather pitch, a cross-country running track and three kilometres of woodland amenity walks.
The site also comprises an accommodation building that includes eight dressing rooms, offices, toilets and parking facilities.
The management estimate that the designated walkways and running track have been used over 100,000 times in the past year, while up to 500 people availed of the all-weather pitch each week during peak periods.
Further developments planned over the coming year include a skateboard park. Ennis Town Council hopes to shortly begin construction on the park, which is being funded by a grant of €90,000 from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
An application has been made under the Sports Capital Grant Programme 2006 for funding for a synthetic running track including floodlighting at the park, estimated to cost in the region of €1.3 million euro. Ennis Town Council is also finalising plans to expand the cross-country track. It’s anticipated that this will facilitate the holding of Munster and All-Ireland Cross Country competitions.
Clare senior hurling manager Anthony Daly said that the “all-weather pitch gives the county side the opportunity to train at any stage of the week.
“In my day, the lack of any floodlit all-weather facility meant that we could only train at weekends.
“It certainly has contributed to the development of the team.
“It’s a fantastic development for the town and county.”