An important meeting of the CBD Sports Complex was held recently in which a new committee was elected with a view to securing and advancing the facility and making it bigger and better with the aim of attracting new members through the doors. The building had been closed for the best part of eighteen months due to Covid-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings which rendered the place redundant and out of commission which was a source of much frustration and ire with the committee and within the community in general.
A number of meetings were held earlier in the hope of encouraging new people/members to come on board and these proved to be very positive in the main with several people indicating their willingness to get involved. The building trades as a limited company however and new directors had to be appointed before it could resume trading with legal, red tape issues and paperwork needing to be cleared up and clarified before a new structure could be put in place. All these issues were resolved in the last number of weeks which paved the way for the formation of a new structure, comprising of fresh officers and directors with several more of the latter to be appointed in the coming weeks.
There is a big body of work ahead for the new committee with the building needing an upgrade in lots of areas most notably the lighting, roof and fire certificate with discussions on remedying and rectifying these concerns ongoing at the moment with the relevant expertise. The place remains a key part in the town and community’s infrastructure with the directors in discussions behind the scenes with a very interested source with a view to outsourcing the upstairs gym area to a person with lots of experience in running a facility such as this in the hope of generating a profit for all the stakeholders while at the same time providing a myriad of classes that would appeal, attract and prove popular to the wider public. The negotiations are ongoing at the moment with a decision imminent which will provide clarity and assurance for all interested parties and collaborators.
There was also a full and frank discussion on fundraising with a number of suggestions put forward as to how money can be raised in the short-term to alleviate some of the pressure on the exchequer and offset the cost of any potential upgrade and enhancement of the building. All ideas were put on the table and these will be pursued in the coming days with a decision on the option that achieves the most consensus to be made at the next meeting. The committee had a very positive meeting with Leader who advised that there is funding available for upgrade and enhancement works with an application form needing to be submitted before Christmas to be in with a chance of securing some finance. The committee is putting the application form together as we speak with review of the same at their first meeting in January.
The main hall has been very much in demand from local clubs and organisations all seeking the use of the spacious room with the basketball club, Bord na n-Og, the local secondary school and the Foroíge club the main anchor tenants so to speak. The hall is also used extensively for indoor soccer, Tai Chi and Irish dancing classes and there are still a number of early evening slots available which the committee would like to see taken up by another group or organisation out there with an interest in setting up some club or other.
More information on the same is available on 089 2616514 or email cbd@gmail.com. The facility is open from 10am – 2pm and 5pm – 10pm Monday – Friday with the weekends open by arrangement/appointment. The main hall is also open and available to host birthday parties with more information on the same available by contacting the above number or emailing the listed email address. The following are the office holders for the coming year with one or two positions still to be filled which the directors hope to sort out before the next meeting.
Chairperson Peter Brennan; assistant chairperson to be confirmed; secretary Miriam Munnelly; assistant secretary Annalisa Meehan; treasurer Karen Mulligan; assistant treasurer Joe Drury; PRO Stephen Healy; assistant PRO Ronan Kenny; operations Rhonda Burke and Francis Egan.