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Leisureland closed for summer

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  • 11-03-2014 8:16pm
    #1
    Laviski
    Registered Users Posts: 1,582 ✭✭✭


    http://connachttribune.ie/galway-news/item/2440-leisureland-closed-for-summer-as-bill-tops-1m


    should they not at least consider knocking down and rebuilding a fit for purpose center also with better protection from the sea?

    seems like 1mil euro would be a wasted, which in fact will probably run into 2 mil as its publicly run.

    A properly built facility would cater for galways needs and a proper venue for music that could rival the royal theater in castlebar.

    perhaps "properly" and "public" shouldn't be used in the same post.


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    #2
    Diabhal Beag
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,238 ✭✭✭✭Diabhal Beag


    Feel sorry for the staff. Always very friendly during my pre-Kingfisher days.


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    #3
    Skittlemon
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Skittlemon


    This just plain sucks, not to mention quite embarrassing for Galway city!


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    #4
    Nordicgael
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭Nordicgael


    Why is it embarrassing for galway? surely spending at least a million euro to repair it so its the same old loss making leisure centre is embarressing when nothing changes except wastse more money.
    I agree with the op - now there is an chance to look at it and decide to make it something better - some place for galway to be proud of to hold better events and concerts?
    its funny with a campain at the moment for galway to be a city of culture in 2020- we dont even have a good concert venue!


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    #5
    aw
    Registered Users Posts: 786 ✭✭✭aw


    Not sure that they'd have a choice really, tbh.

    It looks like it's the insurance company paying for this. They'd pay for the repair of the building. Not for the construction of a new one, when the old one can be salvaged at a cheaper cost to them.

    As to whether the Council could negotiate on this, perhaps, but doubtful I would think. If they could, it would be at a huge cost to themselves.

    To develop a new complex with concert and leisure facilities would be of the order of around €30-40 million. I am basing this cost on the price of developing the Wexford Opera House, (capacity of 853 seated in one hall and 176 in another) taking off some for perhaps a slightly less luxurious finish and maybe cheaper provision of building services but and then including pool, etc. The Leisureland site is much, much bigger than Wexford so this is a conservative estimate.

    Unfortunately, we simply can't afford it on our own. However, central funding or an imaginative Public/Private scheme could see something done. The government funded the majority of the Wexford complex. There was a lot of cash in the bank when that was agreed.

    Cities who get selected to be European City of Culture always attract large funding from Europe and Governments. It could be the city's opportunity to secure funds for a proper venue if it is selected as such.


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    #6
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,671 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Am I the only one who thinks it's nuts trying to put a swimming pool and a large scale concert venue into the same building?


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    #7
    nuac
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,769 Mod ✭✭✭✭nuac


    Afaik the original proposal for Leisureland drafted by the late Simon Kelly envisaged a larger structure than actually built.

    I recall mention at the time of a similar development at Warwick

    Had to be reduced to secure funding.

    If none of the Galway/Salthill hotels added appropriate facilities when the Seaside Resort Tax incentives applied, it may be difficult to finance such a development now.

    I suggest the City Council should press ahead with insurance negotiations and repairing the damage sustained


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    #8
    Robbo
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 10,555 Mod ✭✭✭✭Robbo


    nuac wrote: »
    Afaik the original proposal for Leisureland drafted by the late Simon Kelly envisaged a larger structure than actually built.

    I recall mention at the time of a similar development at Warwick

    Had to be reduced to secure funding.

    If none of the Galway/Salthill hotels added appropriate facilities when the Seaside Resort Tax incentives applied, it may be difficult to finance such a development now.

    I suggest the City Council should press ahead with insurance negotiations and repairing the damage sustained
    Either the Advertiser or an old Galway group on Facebook had a picture of what Leisureland was to look like there recently. A slightly prettier, much larger Concrete Island but very much in keeping with the architectural motif of the time.


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    #9
    Skittlemon
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Skittlemon


    Nordicgael wrote: »
    Why is it embarrassing for galway? surely spending at least a million euro to repair it so its the same old loss making leisure centre is embarressing when nothing changes except wastse more money.
    I agree with the op - now there is an chance to look at it and decide to make it something better - some place for galway to be proud of to hold better events and concerts?
    its funny with a campain at the moment for galway to be a city of culture in 2020- we dont even have a good concert venue!

    Embarrassing in the sense that Galway has no public facility for swimming/concerts. I agree that it needs to be re-examined and a new strategy put forth where it won't be a complete drain ( pardon the pun :D ) on public finances. If it is to be a totally publicly owned facility, the chances are it will lose money, but if the aim is to keep that manageable then it might be feasible. I think a cleverly designed concert venue that could also transform to hold open floor events might well be the revenue generating tool the facility needs, maybe??


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    #10
    Notch000
    Registered Users Posts: 1,469 ✭✭✭Notch000


    I would like to see how the 1M is broken down. Cost V all the bull****, 6 months to drain & retile what is essentialy a very large batch room


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    #11
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,671 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Notch000 wrote: »
    I would like to see how the 1M is broken down. Cost V all the bull****, 6 months to drain & retile what is essentialy a very large batch room

    The story I heard (not verified, but very believable) is that the pumps totally burnt out and the entire basement flooded, therefore that there is a substantial amount of electrical work to be done, as well as the re-tiling and all the other structural and cosmetic work associated with cleaning and drying it. (I'm guessing there was sewage in the mix, too.)

    I have heard heard from a verified source that there's a similar problem with an apartment block in Salthill, which had all the controls for the electrical and plumbing ing the basement. Huge job to fix and move 'em all up to a higher level.



    Skittlemon wrote: »
    Embarrassing in the sense that Galway has no public facility for swimming/concerts.

    Ahh, there are a number of public facilities for swimming. Meaning "available to the general public" as opposed to publically-owned.

    However what most have is a different charging strategy from Leisureland, which offered casual sessions as well as memberships, and focussed most of it's efforts on a casual-session focussed audeince. Some privately-owned gyms have casual sessions, but at a very high price, while others are membership only. But I'm not aware of any where membership is a closed-shop, and not available to the general paying-public.

    There are also public concert facilities -as in available to the general public to rent, in the same way as Leisureland was. These include Bailey Allen hall (publically owned), St Nicholas church, Town Hall theature, the Black box, the big rooms in the Meryck and the Radisson, and the Catholic cathedral. All of them have drawbacks as a concert venue - but all host concerts sometimes.

    What's embarassing is that our folk-culture-capital does not support a full-time larege scale venue. But I don't see that this needs to be publically owned.


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    #12
    Skittlemon
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Skittlemon


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    What's embarassing is that our folk-culture-capital does not support a full-time larege scale venue. But I don't see that this needs to be publically owned.

    My sentiments exactly, the socialist in me though would prefer to see a public run facility though all the same :rolleyes:


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    #13
    antoobrien
    Registered Users Posts: 6,106 ✭✭✭antoobrien


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    What's embarassing is that our folk-culture-capital does not support a full-time larege scale venue. But I don't see that this needs to be publically owned.

    There's a big hole in the ground in Mervue that could be put to better use than the current proposal for (another) shopping center.


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    #14
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,671 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Skittlemon wrote: »
    My sentiments exactly, the socialist in me though would prefer to see a public run facility though all the same :rolleyes:

    The socialist in me would prefer to see tax going to education and healthcare, and leave leisure facilities to the private sector!


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    #15
    Skittlemon
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Skittlemon


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    The socialist in me would prefer to see tax going to education and healthcare, and leave leisure facilities to the private sector!

    I would argue that active leisure is the cement that bonds education and healthcare! :)


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    #16
    metroburgers
    Registered Users Posts: 454 ✭✭metroburgers


    Update from Leisureland with survey link for people to give re-develppment feedback!

    Please complete our survey about our facilities: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Leisureland

    Hello,

    We refer to the recent closure of Leisureland and wish to provide you with an update of our progress to date. As you may know, the flooding incident resulted in extensive damage to the facility by way of the sea water flooding the building and damaging a significant part of the infrastructure. Unfortunately the Leisure facility will remain closed to the public pending the carrying out of the remedial works, which are currently being advanced with the assistance of the Insurance Company. It is envisaged that Leisureland will be in full operational mode toward the end of the year, with the gym area opening during the summer months. The Board Members and staff of Leisureland wish to apologise to you for the inconvenience and disruption the closure has caused and to advise that every effort is being made to advance the works as quickly as possible.

    On a positive note, we are very much looking forward to reopening, with a completely refurbished facility and brand new equipment. We will contact you again closer to our time of re-launch.

    In the meantime, we have attached a survey, we would be very grateful if you could complete it. This will assist us in improving the facility further when we reopen and hopefully give us an insight into what can make our facility and services better for our customers. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete. Just click on the link and follow the instructions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Leisureland. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or queries about the ongoing works.

    Yours sincerely,
    Ita Burke
    Email: leisureland@galwaycity.ie


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