LONG awaited works on a County Limerick swimming pool have gotten underway, with hopes that the facility will reopen in early 2025.
Askeaton Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre has been closed for more than a year, owing to necessary upgrade works within the centre.
Now, Limerick City and County Council has confirmed that the popular pool will reopen in early 2025, following the commencement of upgrade works.
The upgrades, being undertaken by Martins Construction Ltd, will include the upgrading of the plant room, the replacement of the mechanical and electrical equipment, and the installation of energy efficient heating systems.
The council says these works will minimise the future risks of the centre being closed to the public due to flooding in the area, and will help keep day to day running costs down.
The centre is owned by Askeaton Pool and Leisure DAC, with Limerick City and County Council and Askeaton Swimming Club being shareholders. It features a 25-metre pool, a children’s pool, changing facilities, a sauna, and a gym.
Over €1million in grants has been given to the local authority to facilitate works on the pool from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media under the Large Scale Sports Capital Programme.
€1,265,750 in total has been allocated to the Limerick facility, with €619,091 handed down in December of last year, with a further €646,659 awarded previously in 2021.
Welcoming the news that the long-awaited works have started on the site, Mayor John Moran said that once the swimming pool reopens, it will benefit residents in the area.
Mayor Moran said that it is welcome news “that the works have commenced, and I look forward to visiting to review progress on my next trip to Askeaton”.
“The re-opening of the centre will enable the citizens of West Limerick and the wider region to participate in a range of recreational and water-based activities, thus promoting health and wellbeing within the entire community.”
