Council to consider donation to Bailieboro Leisure Centre

The elected members of Bailieborough-Cootehill Municipal District Council are to consider whether or not to maintain a €10,000 donation to the community-run Bailieborough Leisure Centre.
The dilhemma comes as councillors only have a figure of €50,000 in their discretionary fund for the local area. The matter was adjourned to a later date to take into account what other competing applications are received.
The letter from the Board of Management of the centre was discussed by members at their meeting where it was stated that the county council, before the introduction of separate municipal districts, had in the past provide donations of up to €10,000 to the centre.
Fianna Fáil’s Niamh Smyth and Sinn Féin’s Paddy McDonald both extolled the virtues of the community-based project.
“Essentially it’s your call. You have your own discretionary fund and can decide how to distribute it,” Director of Services for the area, Joe McLoughlin told the elected members, and suggested it could be an issue to allocate as much as €10,000.

Disappointed
The members were further disappointed to learn that the proposed 'Town Teams’ to be established with the aim to drive economic development at local level would be potentially need to be funded from the same discretionary fund.

'Deserved something’
Fianna Fáil’s Fergal Curtin was in agreement that the centre “deserved something” but suggested the matter be adjourned to a later date to allow for due cognisance to be given to other applications.
Cllr Smyth agreed. “It’s important that every area gets something,” she said, while Cathaoirleach Carmel Brady said the money had potential to make a “huge difference” for local projects.