Former Trim pool is demolished

Trim's former swimming pool, which served the town and its people for more than 30 years, was demolished last week and the site has now been cleared. The Meath County Council-run pool closed in February 2009 when the new Aura swimming pool and leisure complex opened on the Newhaggard Road. The former swimming pool served the people of Trim for some 33 years and many people, young and old, learned to swim at the facility. Some of the staff members had worked at the pool for up to 20 years. A committee was formed in 1971 by local people who wanted to get a swimming pool up and running for the Trim community, chaired by Gerry Brady. The swimming pool was built at a cost of £80,000 and was opened by the then Minister for Local Government, Jimmy Tully. Austin Sharkey had been Meath County Manager at the time. In recent years, a new pool complex was sanctioned for Trim and the €14m facility, which includes a a 25m swimming pool, two children's pools, sauna and steam room, a gym, sports hall, dressing rooms and toilets, as well as two all-weather pitches and car and bus parking, opened in February 2009. For health and safety reasons, the council took the decision to demolish the vacant swimming pool building, off Watergate Street. The council said it was also costing money to keep the site secure. Any of the equipment that could be reused was transferred to Meath County Council's swimming pool in Kells as back-up. Because a new roof had only been put on the swimming pool in 2004, a firm was employed to remove the roof for salvage. The demolition work was carried out by Meath County Council. The construction material from the old swimming pool site has been removed and the council is to landscape the site and reinstate it as grassland.