Ocean race firm committed to park repairs but has 'no knowledge' of fine

GALWAY’S Volvo Ocean race host company has said it is committed to restoring a city-centre park damaged during the festival, but says it has “no knowledge” of a penalty sum being levied by the local authority.

Let’s Do It Global president John Killeen said two private companies and local scouts had volunteered to clean up and repair South Park, which was the venue for the Volvo race final’s tented global village earlier this month.

Much of the damage to the park was caused by torrential rain which forced organisers to request track pathways from the Army, Mr Killeen said, and the level of rainfall was “unprecedented” in 30 or 40 years, he added.

However, Galway City Council told councillors last week it was withholding 10 per cent of its €250,000 contribution to the event to cover the cost of repairs.

Asked by councillors if a bond had been requested from the organisers to cover such eventualities, the city council said that it was appropriate that parks in the city would be used for the benefit of residents and tourists.

Mr Killeen said yesterday that no bond had been requested, but he had not been informed of any monies being deducted for reparations as the city council was a “partner” in the event licence. He pointed out that bills for the event would not be paid if promised financial support was not forthcoming. The sum of €250,000 was granted by the city council to cover the cost of the free music events at the nine-day festival, Mr Killeen said.

“There has been no agreement to hold back any of this sum and if that happens, we will be out of pocket and unable to pay monies owed,” he said.

Independent city councillor and former mayor Catherine Connolly, who is a Claddagh resident living close to South Park, said that she was “beyond outrage” at what had occurred.

“The city council should have asked for a bond, as it does with every event held in public space,” she said.

“If it does hold back €25,000, this is still taxpayers’ money being used for the clean-up, and this venue of South Park was never going to be suitable anyway,” she said. “It rains every July in Ireland, and the park floods periodically.”

The 30-acre park, which was built on reclaimed land overlooking the Claddagh and the bay, was used for landfill until the 1960s. It is locally known as “the swamp” due to its history of flooding.

In 2007, it was the subject of a public health warning and Environmental Protection Agency intervention, after high levels of lead and arsenic were found in the soil.

The grounds of three houses close to the park on the Claddagh also tested positive for heavy metal contamination, after research by an NUI Galway scientist.

Half of South Park was fenced off with a public health warning, and the local authority promised a “masterplan” for remediation which is still under preparation.

However, the city council management also attempted to include South Park as a location for an “events centre” in the draft city development plan, and Claddagh residents mounted a campaign to have this designation deleted.

Successive motions on the park’s future have been tabled by Ms Connolly, as recently as this June.