Galleon leisure centre makeover update as proposed £13m refurb date unveiled
dailyrecord.co.ukA multi-million pound makeover of the Galleon Centre could get underway in April 2023.Work on the Kilmarnock centre was delayed by the pandemic and leisure bosses say the project was paused to see if the centre would remain 'viable' post-covid.The centre's £13.859 million refurbishment was agreed by East Ayrshire Council's cabinet in 2019 with the proposal of creating a new leisure facility rejected.Now more than three years on it's understood council officers are working on proposals to take to cabinet in December this year.The Galleon relied heavily on hardship investments from the council during the global health crisis with East Ayrshire providing a hardship grant of £150,000 and the centre was later handed a further £80,000 to solve cashflow issues.But a statement from Kilmarnock Leisure Trust says that despite the challenges the centre has proved its worth and importance to the community.The statement reads: "The cabinet approved a capital investment from East Ayrshire Council of £13.859m to facilitate the refurbishment of the Galleon Leisure Centre in 2019."During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 leading to the complete closure of the centre, after operating 5 months on its own reserves with no income or external funding the centre had to request hardship support from East Ayrshire Council to ensure operational sustainability."In the period up to April 2021 following a series of lockdowns, Covid-19 restrictions and reduced capacity/footfall, the centre had to continue relying on council support to remain operational.
The support was agreed; however, the decision was taken to pause the refurbishment project for a period of two years to assess if we were viable to operate."Despite the challenges we faced including
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