An ongoing battle between Portlaoise Panthers and Laois County Council has reached a new milestone, with local councillors hopeful that this will help to resolve the matter.
The problem stems from the state of St Mary’s Hall in Portlaoise, which has been the home of The Town’s basketball club for decades.
This led to the club appealing to the Council to repair the issues at the roof, with the situation escalating on St Patrick’s Day, when the club led a march on Council buildings following the parade in Portlaoise.
At the March meeting of Laois County Council last week, the Council confirmed that they would be leasing St Mary’s Hall to Portlaoise Sports Hall Company Limited.
The lease is to last for eight years at a cost of €100.00 per annum.
The Council’s Director of Services, Mr Donal Brennan confirmed that the project of fixing issues with the hall’s roof would go to tender “within the next month.”
Mr Brennan said he expected work to begin on the Hall “before the end of the year.”
Council Chief Executive, Mr John Mulholland added that this new lease would open up new avenues for funding and help the Hall apply for grants.
The news was warmly welcomed by local councillors, with Cllrs Thomasina Connell, Catherine Fitzgerald and Willie Aird saying this was “positive news” and “a good-news story” for Portlaoise.
However, Sinn Féin Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley and Labour Cllr Marie Tuohy did raise concerns.
The pair led a charge for a new, state-of-the-art indoor sports complex to be developed in Portlaoise, saying that fixing the issues at St Mary’s Hall “would not solve the need” for a major new sports complex in Portlaoise.
Nevertheless, both Cllrs welcomed the news that Laois County Council was “making progress” on dealing with the Hall’s issues, which Cllr Dwane Stanley labelled “embarrassing.”
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