A sad state of affairs in Belturbet

It is a sad state of affairs that Belturbet appears to be the only town or village in the county bereft of a community centre or a hall where events and entertainment can be staged. Councillors expressed their outrage at the lack of a such a facility and, in particular, at the state of the Town Hall building, which they termed unsafe and a disgrace in the year 2010. It is the only place that auditions and dancing classes can be staged and it is widely used by the Convent of Mercy school. Cllr. Peggy Gray said official complaints had been made to her about the state of the upstairs facility in the Town Hall. Two events were staged in the hall last weekend, including refreshments for those receiving and attending Holy Communion and 25 young people participated in a competition run by the National Concert Orchestra from Dublin. The complaints surrounded the fact of "how disgraceful" the Town Hall facilities are at this time. The toilets are nearly non-existent, the floors are dangerous, the stairs are blocked off with a load of chairs, there are cobwebs coming from the ceilings, said Cllr. Gray. The nature of the pane glass window openings is a hazard, as children could run straight through them and fall down on the Diamond. "It was a disgrace that people travelled all the way from Dublin and had to witness such poor facilities in our town," said Cllr. Gray. Her Fine Gael colleague John Scott said it was also mentioned to him by some of the people from the Orchestra in Dublin. "The condition of the Town Hall upstairs has now gone way beyond a joke. It is really a health and safety issue at the moment," he said. Cllrs. Gray and Scott called for the building to be refurbished to a high standard. Independent councillor Paddy Brady said the time had come for decisions and action and no more talk. "It is an outrageous situation where you can actually see daylight out between the slates," he said. "It is an embarrassment to the town." Cllr. Brady said temporary repairs were a waste of time and the entire building needs a total refurbishment as the focal point of the town. Fianna Fáil's Elizabeth McDermott said it was also a disgrace that Belturbet does not have a hall or community centre of any description. She joined the calls for a complete refurbishment and for that not to take away from the town getting its new library. Cllr. Tony Gorby queried if any events or functions in the hall during the upcoming Festival of the Erne would be covered by insurance. "If such events are not covered by insurance, it should be closed," he said. "We're sitting around a small table here in the disused courtroom for our council meeting and the plaster is falling off the walls with dampness," pointed out Cllr. Gorby, adding that the hall could have to be closed during refurbishment. Cllr. McDonald was against closing down the Town Hall completely as the Convent School uses it regularly. He called for a plan to be formulated to have it totally refurbished. Cllr. Seamus Fitzpatrick said there would be issues under the building and health and safety regulations. The ordinary glass in the windows, which almost runs to the floor upstairs, would not meet the current standards, he thought. Cllr Fitzpatrick took the view that raising the Town Hall in isolation, and not in a coherent way with others projects in the town, would not succeed. Cllr. Michael Lee said it was not fit for purpose in its present state and there was no reason with modern construction methods, that it could not be transformed into a comfortable multi-purpose venue to include a proper library facility. There should be protective frames in front of the windows upstairs, he added. The town manager Kevin Reilly said whether the Town Hall stays open was not within the remit of the town council. He confirmed that the building is owned by the county council and there was a need to put a project in place that incorporates a focal point emphasis. The best opportunity to realise the goal of an upgraded building is to bring an attractive upgraded library facility into the equation. "I believe we must focus on a singular anchor project and see what that delivers and then there can be a focus on community involvement," said Mr. Reilly.