One of the most exciting community projects to come along in the town of Ballaghaderreen for many years is the development of the Community Park on the Convent Road which is now at an advanced stage. The six and a half acre site will be turned into an all-encompassing sports and leisure facility for use by all sections of the community, young and old into the future. The Treasurer of the Community Park Committee is Michael Cunningham, who spoke to The Roscommon People last week. ‘We bought the land from the Sisters of Mercy and we are deeply grateful to them for their co-operation. They were so kind to us in all this and the people of Ballaghaderreen will be forever indebted to them when this is all completed and I want to thank them publicly’ he said. Michael says that the committee have a lot of the work done but adds that they also have a lot of work to do. ‘We now have the playing area complete, it was drained, levelled sown and seeded and we hope to be able to play on it in 2008. It will be for every sport under the sun rugby, soccer, gaelic football, hurling, rounders or whatever the local teams in the community want to play because it’s a facility for everyone’ he said Michael outlined the ambitious programme of developments that is earmarked for the park. ‘We are putting a running track around the playing area and we are putting in top class fencing similar to that seen in St. Faithleach’s facility in Ballyleague’ he said. ‘Then we intend to put a walking track around the perimeter of the park so that people can go for a walk in safety. We intend to put in seating and park benches then to finish it all off. There is nowhere for the older members of our community to go in that regard and this will offer them a place to go -to sit down a read a book, take a walk and relax in safety. We are planning to put up lights as well’ he said. Michael says that the provision of a Community Park clubhouse will be the biggest project that they still have to develop. ‘The clubhouse will be a big undertaking. We are fundraising for that now and we hope to be able to start building there as soon as possible’ he said. That led to the question of funding and how the project was going to be paid for. ‘We have done very well so far. We got a loan from the Western Development Commission and we raised in the region of €75,000 from local fund-raising and we got in the region of €100,000 in various grants. I want to pay tribute to local businesses and local people who have certiainly dug deep to support this project. The local response so far has been superb. ‘We are now fund-raising again and we have a ‘Sponsor a Brick’ scheme whereby for €50 your name will be inscribed at the new clubhouse and we are hoping that will be a success too’ he said. Michael was also very quick to praise Roscommon County Council and the County Manager for their help. ‘I couldn’t speak highly enough about the contribution of the County Manager John Tiernan in all this. He has been so helpful. Anything we wanted, we have got from him. Without his help we wouldn’t be half as far on. ‘I also want to record our thanks to local Government TD Michael Finneran who has also been a great help to us’ said Michael. The timetable of the development of the park means that it can be used from some point in 2008. ‘We certainly hope to see the playing area used in 2008 and we will be providing facilities as they are completed. We hope to have the whole project finished in three to four years’ he said. The Ballaghaderreen Community Park will be a facility for everyone in the community to be proud of, says Michael Cunningham. ‘This is a very worthwhile project and it will benefit every single sector of the community. We have received massive backing from ordinary local people and business people so far and that has been such a boost to the project. ‘I have no doubt this will be a huge asset to the entire community here in Ballaghaderreen when it is all finished’ he concluded.
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