Amenity group needs more funds for insurance cover

Difficulties in obtaining insurance has led to a delay in opening the new amenity park and playground in Wilkinstown and with insurance now finally sourced, the committee has had to turn to the community for help to cover the cost.

The playground and park have been completed for several weeks but could not open as planned when the new community centre extension was unveiled, due to issues around insurance.

As work on the project was nearing completion, the committee could never have envisaged the difficulties they would face in insuring the amenity with no company in Ireland or even Europe willing to provide a quote.

After exhausting all avenues, the committee was delighted to finally get insurance with PALI but it comes at at a cost of €6,000 which they cannot afford and must fundraise for.

An emergency community meeting was recently held to brief locals on the situation, and PRO Tara Smith said the community was very supportive.

"Works have been fully complete for sometime, however, the centre has found it near impossible to secure insurance cover," explained Tara.

"No company would even quote us, stating the liability was too much to even consider. After receiving numerous refusals from insurance companies and brokers, we turned to Meath County Council for help.

"After months of negotiations with the council, unfortunately no agreement could be reached for their insurance to cover our amenity park and playground.

"After engaging the help of Minister Helen McEntee, we were put in touch with a group called PALI, and applied for membership and we were successful. However this did not automatically mean cover, or even a quote, from their insurance company but it was a chance we had to take, which lead to the amazing news that they were willing to provide insurance cover for both the playground and amenity park.

"However, this comes at the cost of €6,000. For a non profit organisation fully ran by volunteers, this is a significant financial cost and on top of buildings insurance, we are looking at paying €10,000 yearly just for insurance, which is something we just cannot afford as we have our loan of €250,000 over the next 15 years to pay back for the new building."

A fundraiser is being planned and the committee will also start a monthly bingo starting on 7th October.

The terms of the insurance cover also require that lockable gates be erected at all five entrances to the park which will needed to be locked each evening and opened each morning.