For seven years, Tuam Parish has been pleased to rent part of the Community Centre to Once Upon a Time Childcare Limited t/a the “Happily Ever After” Crèche.
Given the age of this building, extensive upgrade work is now required to the interior to comply with Fire Safety Regulations.
Throughout this process, the Parish Finance Committee has been dedicated to finding a workable solution and has been proactive in its approach.
In this regard, more than €20,000 has been expended by the Parish, which included the appointment of a Project Manager and the engagement of a Fire Safety Consultant and an Electrical Consultant Engineer.
Additionally, several meetings were held with the Crèche Operators, and a Tender process was duly conducted.
Unfortunately, considering the overall value of this building, the costs of the works [currently estimated at €1,200,000.00] far outweigh the capacity of the limited Parish finances. Therefore, it is not possible to fund the works required.
Accordingly, after careful consideration of all possible options, the Parish Finance Committee has had to make the difficult decision not to proceed with the upgrade works on the building.
We share and understand the considerable disappointment of the Crèche Operators and, especially, the families who currently avail of the Crèche services.