Kilcormac Community Centre is thriving and powering ahead
‘We have a new café which is opening in July’
Kilcormac Community Centre is thriving and powering ahead, a shining light in the area and an example of what can be achieved with community spirit and hard graft.
Cllr John Leahy, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, told the May meeting of the local authority, which was held in Kilcormac Community Centre, that the Centre is a great example of resilience in challenging times and it's a dynamo powering a lot of good stuff in the area.
Cllr Leahy is also Cathaoirleach of Kilcormac Development Association (KDA) which is a voluntary Board consisting of ten members that works in tandem with Linda Kelly, who is employed on a full-time basis as a Project Manager who applies for funding schemes and drives projects through. In recent years the KDA has managed to secure over €1 million in funding. The Community Centre is now officially known as the Kilcormac Enterprise & Community Centre and, along with its main hall, consists of two hubs.
“I am 17 years in the KDA,” Cllr Leahy told the Councillors. “This Centre is a very important building in the life of Kilcormac and the surrounding area. This Centre and KDA is the engine room of Kilcormac. It means a great deal to me.” He praised the KDA of the 1980s who undertook a very demanding fundraising scheme to raise money to build the Centre, which was officially opened in 1988. “In the 1980s,” he pointed out, a lot of money was needed to build this building, during a time when there were considerably fewer grants available than there are now.”
He listed some of the things which are taking place in the Centre. “This includes our Meals on Wheels scheme where 1,700 meals go out on a monthly basis across the region.
“On the first floor there are 15 people employed in the private sector, in Rhomu Ltd, an accountancy firm. We have a new café which is opening in July. This will fill a big gap, a big need, because there is no café at the moment in Kilcormac. There will likely be four to six people employed in that.
“Mark Conway runs a very successful coffee shop in Tullamore. Now Mark has acquired a new machine with which he will be roasting his own coffee beans here in one of the two hubs in the Centre. This new venture will create two more jobs.
“A lot of our good work couldn't have been done without Just Transition. There is a lot of negativity regarding Just Transition, and the positives are sometimes forgotten. We secured €300,000 from the Just Transition Fund for our hydro and solar scheme. Getting the funding is one thing but there's a shortfall of €100,000 at the moment. The hydro and solar project will cost €400,000 and we have to find the match funding; which is something of a headache. I am appealing to the Councillors and the Council Executive to please support us in this.”
Cllr Peter Ormond said it would be “only just and right that the County Council seek to get the €100,000 in match funding. KDA is a wonderful organisation. I was Chair of it many years ago, during which time we saw the start of the Faithful Fields. There is a great community spirit here in Kilcormac, which is always great to see.”
Cllr Neil Feighery agreed with Cllr Peter Ormond. He also briefly reminisced about happy days during his childhood days when he attended the Pat Troy summer camps in the 1990s, which featured lots of fun and exercise for children. Pat Troy grew up in Kilcormac and was an emigrant to Alexandria, Virginia in the US. He always retained a deep fondness for his home town, often visiting and also sponsoring the summer camps. He passed away in March 2018. Cllr Feighery said the Council should do its best to source the match funding.
Cllr Leahy pointed out that the KDA is overseeing the creation of a new car park on the town's Main Street. Funding of €300,000 from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme has been secured for this project and the project will be going to tender in the next three to four weeks. No match funding is needed for the car park project, Cllr Leahy said. “It's cost neutral.”
He pointed out that work on a hydro system has begun. This system will use the Silver River as its power source. It will also see the turning of the old mill wheel. “The turning mill wheel itself won't be producing any power,” he commented, “but it will look well. We also plan to remove the roof of the hall in the Centre and replace it with a roof lined with many solar panels. The energy costs of the Centre are €35,000 a year and our aim is that the solar panels and hydro system will mitigate a lot of those costs. The solar panels and hydro system will be running before the end of 2026. The plan is to reduce the energy bill by €25,000 to €30,000. Cllr Leahy said the plant is to buy solar panels and to create a hydro electricity system on the Silver River.”
Finally, he praised Linda Kelly, who, he said, is “a powerhouse.”