Former Longford greyhound track could see new pump track installed

Plans for a new state of the art skatepark on the site of Longford's former greyhound track could also see a pump track form part of those plans, it was revealed last week.
Funding of €405,000 was ring-fenced towards the project just before Christmas under the State's latest round of investment under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Local politicians were told last week that a public procurement process to secure a contractor to carry out the works was expected to conclude by the end of March with the project anticipated to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.

Senior Executive Architect Richard Smith said should further funding become available, a special needs playground and pump track had been identified as possible additions to the former greyhound track site.

A pump track is a looped sequence of rollers and banked turns for bike riders. designed to maximise momentum and improve skills, such as balance and coordination.
News of the possible inclusion of a pump track on the grounds of the Park Road facility was given a muted welcome by a number of local representatives, some of whom admitted they had never heard of such a facility prior to last week's Longford Municipal District meeting.

Independent Cllr Gerry Warnock and Fine Gael's Peggy Nolan both expressed their upset at confirmation the development would not, at this stage, include a recereational path linking the track to the Royal Canal Greenway owing to financial constraints under the Active Travel Scheme. It is hoped the measure will still come on stream at a later stage.
“To say I am disappointed is an understatement,” said Cllr Nolan.

“That to me was what was going to be a real success of it. It was hard fought for and is an amenity any other town would take both hands off you for.
“We have to be very careful what we put in there. None of us knew what that pump track was and is there a need for it?”
Fianna Fáil's Martin Monaghan said it was imperative the council did not lose sight of what the site was originally purchased for.
“I think we have to be very careful what we do here,” he said.

“This is a jigsaw we have to put together. We have a very valuable asset there with the dog track and is a very rare commodity to have a site like that in an urban area.”
His party colleague, Cllr Ureumu Adejinmi was more upbeat, saying the proposed pump track together with a separate sensory play area offered key recreational opportunities to Longford's younger populous.

“The pump track is a great addition as is the playground,” she said.
“I think the pump track will be something the young people of Longford will really embrace.
“It is something that has been rolled out in south Dublin and to have it in Longford would be great and will add to the activities for the young people in Longford.”