GALTEE GAELS VOTE TO MOVE ON DEVELOPMENT PLAN
"A vote of confidence in the work of the development committee," was how Galtee Gaels development officer Ger Condon described the outcome of last week’s special general meeting.
A sub committee formed almost four years ago to look at the club’s facilities returned to the membership with a set of working drawings complete with fire cert, full planning permission and a competitive price. Funding of €145,000 had also been secured by the committee.
The total cost to the club so far €1,000 and with €45,000 in a club deposit account for the development work the meeting sought to ascertain if the club could come up with the remaining €70,000 plus interest, with positive feedback from all involved.
Having visited a number of clubs who had either done or are in the process of doing development work the committee chairman Mike Kelly presented a very informative slide show.
Ger Condon then spoke on the history of the committee and said that it had been discussed at 28 different meetings since the committee was formed. He said that while the building might look a bit elaborate for dressing rooms he stated that it was a building for the future and at all stages when funding was being looked for the design of the building was always commented on. He urged the membership to support the proposal before them as plan B was a blank sheet of paper and €45,000.
Committee member and juvenile club chairman John McGrath said that the juvenile section of the club had utilised the field for fundraisers during the past year and felt that the lack of a number of basic things increased their workload on the day.
He paid tribute to the people that went before them for their foresight in leaving the club such a legacy and said back in 1957 there must have been some people eyeing up that field for hay rather than putting up goalposts As a parent of four juvenile footballers he hoped to be coming to the field for the next 30 years and urged all present to support it.
Present also on the night were vice presidents Joe O’Sullivan and Jack Barry who along with the late Tom Kiely R.I.P. were the driving force in putting the present dressing rooms in place. Jack said that times had changed and it was time to move on.
Support also came from former player Willie Roche as well as Mike Lenihan and Liam Allen who said that he would be disappointed if it didn’t go through. Mike Kelly then put the motion to the meeting and it was carried by a substantial majority by a good cross section of club members.
The next step will be the drawing up of a contract and subsequent fundraising. €20,000 will need to be raised before the end of 2008 to give the club enough working capital to start the job. A number of once off donations have been pledged to the development from some supporters and these will be followed up in the near future.
Published:
Thursday 5th June 7:05pm
