OLD CLOHAMON SCHOOL TO BECOME A DIGITAL AND COMMUNITY HUB
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND euros in funding has been allocated to transform the old Clohamon NS into a community centre, digital hub and playground space for local residents.
It was a case of second time lucky for Clohamon Community Development Group (CDG), having failed in their first attempt last year.
Undeterred they returned with a second application which returned successful on Friday.
The Town & Village Renewal funding includes building insulation, InfraRed (IR heating panels) powered by solar PV panels (the school has south west facing orientation) with storage battery which will allow for a future project to install an electric car charger point in the car park in line with government plans for 2030.
Thanks to a €20,000 donation from Slaney Meats the local community group was able to apply for the funding.
Caroline Fortune of Clohamon CDG said: ‘Clohamon school was operating as a primary school from 1943 - 2015. The T&V funding will now refurbish it into a fully functioning community centre with playground. This is the main bulk of the money we need.’
The school has been used in recent years for classes and a youth club but is not fit for purpose in its current condition.
It requires new windows, insulation and €50,000 will be used for its refurbishment. Solar panels will be installed to make the building cost effective, energy wise.
€47,000 will be spent on a playground on the grounds of the school.
A digital hub will see ten to 12 laptops purchased, along with a printer.
Ms Fortune said: ‘It’s aimed towards a training facility for classes for the Foróige Youth club and hopefully Coder Dojo. We need to get the building connected to broadband.’
She said: ‘It’s amazing. It means so much to the village. We have been working on this for over two years. There is a really strong community spirit here and a really good committee and the whole community got on board. There has been a lot of fundraising for charity and we did tractor runs before Christmas in recent years.’
Clohamon CDG was formed in November 2017 by chairman Barty O’Connor, a native of Clohamon and within two years the application to create a community space within the community – which is located two miles from Bunclody.
2021 will be a watershed year for the village as the development of the centre runs in tandem with exciting kayak and heritage trail openings along the riverbank.
Almost €4,000 of additional funding has been granted from Local Authority Waters (LAW) programme and Knocknalour Wind Farm fund to develop the riverbank at Clohamon bridge for public access and kayak landing area. The Town & Village funding is also covering a heritage signed road walking trail and biodiversity signage on the riverbank, which will complement the riverbank project.
The new centre is due to be completed by mid-2022 but there will most likely be some leeway because of Covid.
Ms Fortune thanked Yvonne Byrne from Wexford County Council for her help with the application. She also thanked politicians: Kathleen Codd Nolan, Barbara Anne Murphy, Verona Murphy, James Browne and Paul Kehoe.
‘ The biggest thanks goes to Slaney Foods. We must be one of the only organisations to get local funding. They put up the €20,000 we needed. The funding was for €100,000 and the total’ cost of the project is around €120,000. It was huge to get them on board.
We are indebted to our community partners, Slaney Foods, for pledging the €20,000 of matched funding for these projects as our community partner,’ she said.