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Replying To Stiofan: "I've always thought along different lines. Move away from Navan. We have this great facility in Dunganny. Build a brand new 16,000 All seater there. Plenty of space. Parking not a problem. Motorway on its doorstop, making it an attractive location for Leinster. There is an opportunity to bring the Dublin-Navan Rail close to it. Most will disagree with me, but you have to think of something outside of the box." Stiofan, fair play, It's a valid and outside the box thought. I think there was a feasibility study done on a stadium at dunganny. Unfortunately you'd have to acquire and purchase the requisite site to build a stadium on, provide adequate parking and there's absolutely no facilities beside Dunganny. Most people love to be able to have a few pints/ drinks before a match, enjoy the craic and build up before heading to the ground, but you'd be pushing everyone to one location in advance with no facilities. The site would also be a nightmare to get in and out off on a match day and could take an hour or two to clear the gates with all that traffic, which would be going onto local and regional roads to access a motorway, and there would be a traffic jam all the way there. I'm not sure how close you'd get a rail link to it so that might knock that out too.
Look its not a terrible idea and i think the Leinster council should look at a greenfield site for a new stadium and take it from there.
brian (Meath) - Posts: 1973 - 30/09/2021 10:23:02
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Well done to all concerned, no small achievement…….
https://www.gaa.ie/news/pairc-tailteann-crowned-gaa-county-grounds-pitch-of-the-year/?fbclid=IwAR383haG4Du6GMj1RRjWVTrvtPqhbDkTRJUF5M_rrrZUhmTYD3pMo8u8cmw
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3744 - 21/10/2021 17:45:50
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Replying To Richieq: "Well done to all concerned, no small achievement…….
https://www.gaa.ie/news/pairc-tailteann-crowned-gaa-county-grounds-pitch-of-the-year/?fbclid=IwAR383haG4Du6GMj1RRjWVTrvtPqhbDkTRJUF5M_rrrZUhmTYD3pMo8u8cmw" There is no doubt - it is a great surface - well kept and well looked after. It's just a pity the rest of the 'stadium' is so far behind!
ASaminthehand (Meath) - Posts: 422 - 22/10/2021 11:26:37
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Replying To Richieq: "Well done to all concerned, no small achievement…….
https://www.gaa.ie/news/pairc-tailteann-crowned-gaa-county-grounds-pitch-of-the-year/?fbclid=IwAR383haG4Du6GMj1RRjWVTrvtPqhbDkTRJUF5M_rrrZUhmTYD3pMo8u8cmw" Well done to everyone involved, it's a fine surface indeed and hopefully soon it might have the facilities to match it.
brian (Meath) - Posts: 1973 - 22/10/2021 11:48:25
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Replying To Richieq: "Well done to all concerned, no small achievement…….
https://www.gaa.ie/news/pairc-tailteann-crowned-gaa-county-grounds-pitch-of-the-year/?fbclid=IwAR383haG4Du6GMj1RRjWVTrvtPqhbDkTRJUF5M_rrrZUhmTYD3pMo8u8cmw" Yea, I have to agree with this assessment, superb playing surface. This does not happen accidentally. It takes a professional approach from all the staff concerned and is a credit to them.
MillerX (Meath) - Posts: 1080 - 22/10/2021 12:12:21
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I can actually see this accolade being a boost to redevelopment plans, acknowledging the surface as the best in the land is surely a positive step forward and gives weight to developing other facilities.
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3744 - 22/10/2021 12:38:37
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Replying To Richieq: "I can actually see this accolade being a boost to redevelopment plans, acknowledging the surface as the best in the land is surely a positive step forward and gives weight to developing other facilities." agreed. This is a huge honour and fitting testimony to all the great work done by our CB , that very rarely gets recognised here enough . there is alot of nonsense in the last week or two about County managers & the likes, and members are forgetting about what are the real achievements . I guarantee you there are plenty of people in Kerry & Dublin looking at this today with envy
Thelongwoodslasher (Meath) - Posts: 403 - 22/10/2021 12:45:39
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So county board have announced any plans are now at a standstill. Nothing will happen for the foreseeable future. Costs have gone up 40% to 50% i think is whats in todays news. At this stage I'd be in favour of demolishing Navan and selling off the whole site. Prime location in the middle of one of the largest towns in the country. Play league matches in Donaghmore Ashbourne which could more than cope with the dwindling attendance going to league matches these days.
What other county ground in the country has had no works done on it for 35 years and counting. Navan as a venue is nothing short of a disgrace to the county and is endemic of the prevailing attitudes of so many things within Meath GAA. If we sit on our hands for long enough and hope that it'll improve then surely it will!!!! And every couple of years we're surprise when things flip flop from one bad thing to another.
brian (Meath) - Posts: 1973 - 14/06/2022 15:21:07
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Replying To brian: "So county board have announced any plans are now at a standstill. Nothing will happen for the foreseeable future. Costs have gone up 40% to 50% i think is whats in todays news. At this stage I'd be in favour of demolishing Navan and selling off the whole site. Prime location in the middle of one of the largest towns in the country. Play league matches in Donaghmore Ashbourne which could more than cope with the dwindling attendance going to league matches these days.
What other county ground in the country has had no works done on it for 35 years and counting. Navan as a venue is nothing short of a disgrace to the county and is endemic of the prevailing attitudes of so many things within Meath GAA. If we sit on our hands for long enough and hope that it'll improve then surely it will!!!! And every couple of years we're surprise when things flip flop from one bad thing to another." Careful now, I suggested developing Ashbourne and selling off PT a year ago and nearly started a riot on here.
All Ashbourne needs is a stand on the far side from the existing stand (I recommend prefabricated seating made from treated wood or steel elements, no need for mass pouring of concrete etc), plenty of Polish, Spanish and Slovenian companies building this stuff very reasonably for stadia across Europe - keep well clear of Irish builders and engineering companies for obvious reasons. Enough space for another large car park behind that then. A modest seating area would be 4K.
It's all that's needed. Every 10 years we might need a bigger stadium for a big qualifier but sure that's what croke park is for.
Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 14/06/2022 21:06:40
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Replying To brian: "So county board have announced any plans are now at a standstill. Nothing will happen for the foreseeable future. Costs have gone up 40% to 50% i think is whats in todays news. At this stage I'd be in favour of demolishing Navan and selling off the whole site. Prime location in the middle of one of the largest towns in the country. Play league matches in Donaghmore Ashbourne which could more than cope with the dwindling attendance going to league matches these days.
What other county ground in the country has had no works done on it for 35 years and counting. Navan as a venue is nothing short of a disgrace to the county and is endemic of the prevailing attitudes of so many things within Meath GAA. If we sit on our hands for long enough and hope that it'll improve then surely it will!!!! And every couple of years we're surprise when things flip flop from one bad thing to another." Heard that on the news this morning! Sad state of affairs! PT is so far off other county grounds at this stage and I doubt that development costs will be coming down anytime soon!
ASaminthehand (Meath) - Posts: 422 - 15/06/2022 08:58:36
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Replying To brian: "So county board have announced any plans are now at a standstill. Nothing will happen for the foreseeable future. Costs have gone up 40% to 50% i think is whats in todays news. At this stage I'd be in favour of demolishing Navan and selling off the whole site. Prime location in the middle of one of the largest towns in the country. Play league matches in Donaghmore Ashbourne which could more than cope with the dwindling attendance going to league matches these days.
What other county ground in the country has had no works done on it for 35 years and counting. Navan as a venue is nothing short of a disgrace to the county and is endemic of the prevailing attitudes of so many things within Meath GAA. If we sit on our hands for long enough and hope that it'll improve then surely it will!!!! And every couple of years we're surprise when things flip flop from one bad thing to another." Very dissapointing altogether.
The price on construction I get, I work in the industry & I wouldnt like to have seen a spend of 3-4million extra & then things go bang when it could have been cheaper.
I also see why someone wouldnt want to be throwing good money into something that will be knocked.
However... & this is what annoys the bejaysus out of me.
There are certain things that need to be at a standard, regardless of whether theres a new development coming or not.
Example 1 is the toilets. Jesus lads.... Anyone who was in Ennis over the past few years will have seen an old venue, but with toilets built in the corners behind each terrace. Mens and Lads, simple box structure, block build. Basic, but bright, clean and big enough to cover the needs. Somewhere you can let kids us. Would 4 (1 in each corner) cost 60k max?
Yes someone will say its 60k that will be demolished, but lets be realistic, this place is getting rebuilt today or tomorrow. These would probably be an 8-10 year use..
Example 2
Floodlights. I believe it was to do with the concrete base on which they were set that condemned them. But why scrap all. The lights themselves worked. They had been bought and paid for, so why not put in a proper base an re-erect them? Yes they'll be coming down again, but could be 8-10 years, so put a few quid into making the place half habitable while we still need it.
If these smaller issues are something they are willing to invest in, then how can they expect people to keep coming. Im relieved we have 4 away games in the league next year... Means only 3 stuck in that kip.
It must be an awful kick in the teeth to the pitch maintenance team who have the playing surface absolutely top class, only to be surrounded by a tip.
If they aren't willing to put a few quid into the basics that are needed while we wait on development, then I think Brians Idea of demolish and see it a better idea.
Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6347 - 15/06/2022 10:10:55
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Replying To Crinigan: "Careful now, I suggested developing Ashbourne and selling off PT a year ago and nearly started a riot on here.
All Ashbourne needs is a stand on the far side from the existing stand (I recommend prefabricated seating made from treated wood or steel elements, no need for mass pouring of concrete etc), plenty of Polish, Spanish and Slovenian companies building this stuff very reasonably for stadia across Europe - keep well clear of Irish builders and engineering companies for obvious reasons. Enough space for another large car park behind that then. A modest seating area would be 4K.
It's all that's needed. Every 10 years we might need a bigger stadium for a big qualifier but sure that's what croke park is for." Cant argue with anything youve propsed there. Probably makes too much sense for us in Meath tho..
Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6347 - 15/06/2022 10:32:24
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The development will not take place as planned and I didn't think it would even before this announcement, however there is over €6 million available via the LSSIF and €2 million between Central and Leinster Councils so I would redraw plans and ask for that money to be released. Create two good spec terraces behing both goals and revamp the existing terrace, possibly to include some seating and cover and revamp it's facilities and get the floodlights back up, and then when money is available rebuild the stand as originally planned. If we had covered seated at both sides and decent terracing at both ends with proper and plentiful toilet and concession facilities we would be fine, but at least now plan to do something with the money that's there and available.
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3744 - 15/06/2022 13:07:21
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Replying To Jinxie: "Very dissapointing altogether.
The price on construction I get, I work in the industry & I wouldnt like to have seen a spend of 3-4million extra & then things go bang when it could have been cheaper.
I also see why someone wouldnt want to be throwing good money into something that will be knocked.
However... & this is what annoys the bejaysus out of me.
There are certain things that need to be at a standard, regardless of whether theres a new development coming or not.
Example 1 is the toilets. Jesus lads.... Anyone who was in Ennis over the past few years will have seen an old venue, but with toilets built in the corners behind each terrace. Mens and Lads, simple box structure, block build. Basic, but bright, clean and big enough to cover the needs. Somewhere you can let kids us. Would 4 (1 in each corner) cost 60k max?
Yes someone will say its 60k that will be demolished, but lets be realistic, this place is getting rebuilt today or tomorrow. These would probably be an 8-10 year use..
Example 2
Floodlights. I believe it was to do with the concrete base on which they were set that condemned them. But why scrap all. The lights themselves worked. They had been bought and paid for, so why not put in a proper base an re-erect them? Yes they'll be coming down again, but could be 8-10 years, so put a few quid into making the place half habitable while we still need it.
If these smaller issues are something they are willing to invest in, then how can they expect people to keep coming. Im relieved we have 4 away games in the league next year... Means only 3 stuck in that kip.
It must be an awful kick in the teeth to the pitch maintenance team who have the playing surface absolutely top class, only to be surrounded by a tip.
If they aren't willing to put a few quid into the basics that are needed while we wait on development, then I think Brians Idea of demolish and see it a better idea." 100% agree - all your points are spot on! was in Tullamore recently! The comparison with Navan well..... there simply isn't any!!
Royalblufill (Meath) - Posts: 515 - 15/06/2022 15:39:13
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Replying To Jinxie: "Cant argue with anything youve propsed there. Probably makes too much sense for us in Meath tho.." Hang on - That is Ashbourne's ground - maybe they don't want that! Maybe they don't want to share their facilities with anyone else - why would they realistically! They seem to get plenty of championship games during the summer and I know that their members are not always thrilled with those!
I also suspect with all the new housing going in opposite the club house on the far side of the pitch that planning permission for a stand could be an issue!
Royalblufill (Meath) - Posts: 515 - 15/06/2022 15:44:35
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Replying To Royalblufill: "Hang on - That is Ashbourne's ground - maybe they don't want that! Maybe they don't want to share their facilities with anyone else - why would they realistically! They seem to get plenty of championship games during the summer and I know that their members are not always thrilled with those!
I also suspect with all the new housing going in opposite the club house on the far side of the pitch that planning permission for a stand could be an issue!" I think Ashbourne was being mentioned with tongue firmly planted in cheek? At least I hope it was.
Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3744 - 15/06/2022 16:25:51
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Replying To Richieq: "I think Ashbourne was being mentioned with tongue firmly planted in cheek? At least I hope it was." No more tongue in cheek than idea of redeveloping Pairc Tailteann from magic money trees and selling tickets for house draws.
Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 15/06/2022 17:40:15
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The whole thing has been one big shambles after another, I had warned on here from Day 1 when this development design proposal was scrutinised that there wasn't a hope it would ever be built. Anyone with half a brain would see it was all pie in the sky. The County Board were lined up behind the pied piper and no one thought to question any aspects of the development.
I have been saying on here for years, long before Covid, Ukraine and inflation that quite simply there was not a snowballs chance in hell of it ever happening. Covid, Ukraine & Inflation are great excuses to halt the project that was never going to happen. For years I have questioned on here what excuse will they eventually use to save face?
The biggest scandal of all is the €600,000 paid out on design fees for something that could never be built as designed.
It is absolutely heartbreaking to see that amount of money wasted.
There was only one ever viable option and that was to knock the existing stand and build a new one in its place, that I have been advocating since day 1. The design team now with bulging pockets led the County Board astray.
I am not saying the County Board are to blame but they were easily led, there was no one among them to understand the basics of the project, it's not their fault but none of them had any qualifications in the field.
We need to pay a full time business person (with the financial well being of Meath GAA to be one of its main responsibilities) to run Meath GAA, it will cost us much less and there will much better decision making which will lead to better outcomes.
It is the news I always knew was coming, but why oh why did we have to waste so much money.
All this talk of Ashbourne and Dunganny are only windups, Pairc Tailteann is ideal if they put a brand new stand in for in place of the match of the old one.
Meathball (Meath) - Posts: 140 - 15/06/2022 19:27:40
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Replying To Meathball: "The whole thing has been one big shambles after another, I had warned on here from Day 1 when this development design proposal was scrutinised that there wasn't a hope it would ever be built. Anyone with half a brain would see it was all pie in the sky. The County Board were lined up behind the pied piper and no one thought to question any aspects of the development.
I have been saying on here for years, long before Covid, Ukraine and inflation that quite simply there was not a snowballs chance in hell of it ever happening. Covid, Ukraine & Inflation are great excuses to halt the project that was never going to happen. For years I have questioned on here what excuse will they eventually use to save face?
The biggest scandal of all is the €600,000 paid out on design fees for something that could never be built as designed.
It is absolutely heartbreaking to see that amount of money wasted.
There was only one ever viable option and that was to knock the existing stand and build a new one in its place, that I have been advocating since day 1. The design team now with bulging pockets led the County Board astray.
I am not saying the County Board are to blame but they were easily led, there was no one among them to understand the basics of the project, it's not their fault but none of them had any qualifications in the field.
We need to pay a full time business person (with the financial well being of Meath GAA to be one of its main responsibilities) to run Meath GAA, it will cost us much less and there will much better decision making which will lead to better outcomes.
It is the news I always knew was coming, but why oh why did we have to waste so much money.
All this talk of Ashbourne and Dunganny are only windups, Pairc Tailteann is ideal if they put a brand new stand in for in place of the match of the old one." Tullamore should be the template for all redevelopments.
The main stand there is exactly whats required for GAA grounds.
Full length of the pitch. Fully seated and covered with unobstructed views.
The Terrace in Navan is actually allright if the toilets at the back were tidied up a bit,
Then concrete the 2 ends behind the goals to terracing.
That cant possibly be a massive expense.
Thanks.
Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6347 - 16/06/2022 11:01:12
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In fairness Tullamore was a Celtic Tiger project when the money was flowing, while their local TD was Minister for Finance and then Taoiseach. Tullamore Hospital got lots of funding at the same time, by sheer coincidence of course....
Regarding all these proposals for "cheap" upgrades, asking "it can't cost that much can it?". The answer is always, always yes, it will cost that and more. Construction costs were already rocketing before the pandemic, and they've only gotten worse since then on a worldwide scale.
CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1668 - 16/06/2022 12:25:22
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