ASKEATON swimming pool will close for a year from March 16 to facilitate health and safety work and to improve energy efficiency of the leisure centre.
The gym attached to the swimming pool will continue to operate up to end of August and an allocation of €646,659 grant has been approved by the Department of Sport from the Large Scale Infrastructure Fund to finance the work.
The plant room at the Leisure Centre has been impacted on several occasions by flooding from the tidal River Deel in certain weather conditions and the flood alleviation project is to be project managed by Limerick City and County Council.
An energy audit has been carried out with the support of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland to improve the energy efficiency of the centre as part of the plant room works.
When the Leisure Centre was built in 2007, it was envisaged by both Limerick County Council and Askeaton Swimming Club that low admission charges would apply and the facility would be open to all communities.
The centre is owned by Askeaton Pool and Leisure DAC, which is 51 per cent owned by Limerick City and County Council with the remaining 49 per cent in the ownership of Askeaton Swimming Club.
During the closure period, the owners will engage with Limerick City and County Council, to ensure the plant room flood alleviation works are completed on a timely basis.
They also plan to refurbish the main reception area, and carry out other internal and external maintenance work to prepare the Leisure Centre for reopening next year.
