News that the Watershed swimming pool may re-open within two weeks is not being greeted with much optimism by Kilkenny Swimming Club which is livid that the closure of the facility has disrupted its swim team’s training for over two months.
In an open letter to the Kilkenny County Council and other interested parties, chairperson Mary McMorrow said that she was “writing to the nameless and faceless on behalf of the 157 children who are members of Kilkenny Swimming Club which has been brought to its knees by the extended closure of the Watershed pool.”
Ms McMorrow said in her letter that she “was appealing on behalf of all of the children for you to stop hiding behind insurance reports, engineers’ reports, financial reports, or whatever other kind of awaited reports continue to hold up the re-opening of our training facility.”
The letter was an angry reaction to the pool’s closure which has seriously curtailed Kilkenny’s competitive swimmers since early this year.
Problems with the tiles’ anti-slip surface has forced management to close the pool until the tiles have been deemed non-slip and safe once again.
Ms McMorrow said, “...to the members of our club the closure is nothing short of a disaster, we have been brought to our knees competitively, financially, and socially.
“We are trying to keep the teams swimming between the Rivercourt Hotel and Hotel Kilkenny, but it is very difficult and we have some very promising swimmers who have been severely affected by the closure. Perhaps worst of all is the effect on the 28- strong ‘A Squad’. These are swimmers who have dedicated themselves to swimming for many years now and it is for them that the closure hurts the most.
“Swimming is hugely competitive at national level and you cannot afford to miss out on months of training without consequence. This particular group were travelling to Carlow and New Ross for the first seven weeks of the closure (in anticipation originally of a closure of four to six weeks ). Unfortunately, both Carlow County Council and New Ross County Council could only offer limited pool time (but hang your head in shame Kilkenny County Council, at least they bent over backwards to help us out ) and the swimmers’ training time has been half of what they need to be doing at this time of year.”
Ms McMorrow said also that the long term cost to Kilkenny swimming has not even begun to be felt, as currently there is no schools’ swimming programme, no water safety lessons, no Watershed lessons, no swim club lessons, and the pool of children who traditionally have gone on to join the swim club with an interest in competitive swimming simply has not been there for the last few months.
“I have calls from parents every day hoping for some positive news. I share their frustration and therefore plead on their behalf to who ever may be listening, please stop making excuses. There has to be a way to cut through all the red tape. We are fed up of excuses, just get the work done and open it up,” concluded Ms McMorrow.
Meanwhile chief executive of the Watershed Dermot Gaynor told the Kilkenny Advertiser that the pool is due to open within two weeks. The tiles have received an anti-slip coating which we believe will improve the non-slip surface for up to about five years, after which the treatment can be applied again. The tiles now need to be re-tested and then we can decide when we can re-open,” he said.
