Capital grants announced for Community Centre, Kilcullen GAA

Pickleball club using Community Centre.

A capital grant for Kilcullen Community Centre will be used towards the costs of resurfacing the main hall playing floor and the hall heating, writes Brian Byrne. The €66,687 funding through Pobal was announced today, as was another of €79,200 for Kilcullen GAA, both from the Department of Rural & Community Development under the Community Centre Investment Fund 2024 initiative. The local grants were part of total funding of €598,117 for eight Kildare community centres.

According to Kilcullen Community Centre manager Enda O'Neill, the floor has been in need of redoing for a number of years, following water damage on part of it which was previously repaired but left a noticeable degradation. He warmly welcomed the grant funding towards the centre's own investment in the work.

"We'll have a new floor, and new markings for basketball, badminton, indoor soccer and pickleball," he told the Diary today, particularly thanking centre committee member Colleen Devine for her work in putting the grant application together. He also expressed the centre's appreciation for the help of Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer in 'pointing us in the right direction' to achieve the grant. 

The upgrade of the heating in the hall is also an urgent element of improvements. "It's a cold hall, and we need to make it more comfortable, particularly for spectators and parents coming in supporting their children using the centre."

Cllr O'Dwyer and local TD and minister Martin Heydon have both welcomed today's announcement, Minister Heydon commenting that the Kilcullen Community Centre campus is the 'Blue Riband' of the kind of community and sports facilities that should be around the country.

"We're very lucky to have this campus and all the facilities in one place," Enda O'Neill says. "The people who first had the idea of beginning it all those years ago were very far-seeing." 

The GAA grant will allow the club to fund a series of upgrades to the clubhouse, which will include replacing the fire alarm, insulating the clubhouse, upgrading the toilets and access to the clubhouse to comply with Part M requirements, replacing doors, upgrading the electrical wiring, and installation of emergency and external lighting.

"Kilcullen GAA is at the heart of the community, with many community activities, such as Bowls, Bingo, children's parties etc taking place every week in our club house," says chairman Trevor Schwer. "We want to share our facilities with the wider community such as the fully lit, wheelchair accessible walking track which demonstrates our commitment to our community. Much thanks goes to Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer who was instrumental in assisting with this application."

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