by Alan Jacques
CROOM Civic Centre is now positioning itself to play a central role in the County Limerick town well into the future.
Croom Community Development Association (CCDA) recently hosted an open event to showcase plans for the upgrade of the new-look centre.
The event, spearheaded by CCDA chief executive Patricia Ryan, presented the project plans and how the newly reconfigured civic centre will look on completion of works, with a targeted opening of late summer 2022.
“The reconfiguration of the centre will see the civic space moved to a new first floor, and additional toilet facilities for those visiting the Croom Town Park,” Ms Ryan explained.
“The Riverside Restaurant will have a larger kitchen and dining spaces allowing for the preparation of meals from locally sourced raw ingredients. The restaurant dining space will consist of three interconnecting areas allowing large or smaller private functions that will provide services to accommodate everyone’s events needs in the community of Croom and beyond.”
CCDA will be looking for a restaurant operator to lease the space in due course, with expressions of interest welcome.
Once reopened the civic centre will continue to offer all of the same services to the community it did before the upgrade, including secretarial services, open computing as well as the much-loved book service and library.
“Funding a project like this is a mountain for small communities such as Croom. CCDA have worked tremendously hard to make this project a reality for the community,” Ms Ryan explained.
Now, thanks to our partnerships with Ballyhoura Development, the local authority, the LEADER fund, and other philanthropic organisations, it is well on its way to fruition. CCDA will continue to fundraise over the coming year and would appreciate everyone’s support with upcoming fundraising initiatives,”
CCDA chairman Mike Mangan sees the upgrade as a very exciting project and one they are keen to deliver for the community.
“Through a lot of hard work and commitment, Croom has been on an upward trajectory and progressing steadily every year for the last number of years,” Mr Mangan said.
“Croom has a lot to offer. We have a new secondary school in Coláiste Chiaráin, investment in the Regional Orthopaedic Hospital, a new Primary Health Care Centre, plans to expand our Enterprise Centre, and Croom GAA have invested in state-of-the-art facilities.
“We hear a lot in the media about rural towns and their decline right around the country. Croom, with the support of everyone locally and the local authorities, can be the template for all rural towns and villages throughout the country,” he concluded.
