Footpath to Laois outdoor swimming pool to be built this year

A new footpath will be installed into Ballinakill Outdoor Pool in Laois this year.

However it won't be completed until nearly the end of the summertime season.

A timeline for the works have been confirmed by Laois County Council this week to further upgrade facilities for the public amenity in the south Laois town.

They say that the path should be finished between July and September, if funding is made available. 

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"The footpath is proposed to be delivered this year and will be funded by the National Transport Authority under Active Travel. Tendering for a Design Team has been completed and the successful tenderer is to be appointed. Design work and preparation for statutory processes will commence following the appointment. Subject to available resources, the local authority plans to have the work completed in Q3 of this year."

Cllr John Joe Fennelly had requested the update, in a motion to the January meeting of the Portlaoise Municipal District.

He also asked when the trees lining the laneway to the pool are going to be felled, and was happy to hear they will come down at the same time as the path is being built.

"That is great news," Cllr Fennelly said, thanking the sports department in Laois County Council as well as the volunteers in Ballinakill for their hard work.

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He noted that the new playground under construction beside the swimming pool is "really coming on". 

The amenity area in Ballinakill town centre also has a fishing lake, and recently got a new car park and bus park while the outdoor swimming pool is now heated. 

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald praised the works.

"It is such an important area for Ballinakill. It is a fantastic amenity," she said.