Renovated Kildare day centre handed back to HSE

A COMMUNITY-led project to convert a former Dispensary building in Kilcullen to a Day Centre for older people has been handed back to the HSE, following almost a decade of work.

While renovations and an extension are completed, the voluntary Teach na nDaoine Committee say they don't have the expertise to manage the operation.

To date, €164,407 has been spent on the project, begun in 2015 with the original committee gaining an agreement to lease the almost-derelict building from the HSE, beside the town's Medical Centre.

A series of fundraising events and various grants funded the work, along with donations and a substantial amount of voluntary input from local construction craftspeople.

Originally it was intended to only refurbish the original building, with the idea of providing a drop-in social centre for older people, especially for those who might feel isolated. But the project was expanded to include a major modern extension to the side and rear of the former dispensary.

The completed building now includes a lounge, a dining room, a meeting room, a versatile activity area, a kitchen, and two cloakrooms, all finished to a high standard. The rooms have been furnished, creating an inviting environment designed to serve the community’s senior residents, if the HSE decides to run the facility as such.

Some 71 per cent of the project's cost was funded by grants — including the Town & Village Grant, National Lottery, Community Festival Grant, HSE Community and Voluntary Support Grant, CEP 2018, and the Community Support Fund. There was strong support for the proposed centre from public representatives at Dáil and council level, and local organisations such as Kilcullen Lions Club also helped raise funds.

Planning application and statutory certification from various organisations including the Fire Service delayed commencement of work until August 2017, while the arrival of the pandemic in 2020 also closed down both further fundraising and construction activity.

With the return to normalcy, the finishing touches and fitting out were gradually carried out, though no opening date for the facility was ever made available. Now the committee, in a statement, say they have taken the project as far as possible.

"However, with increasing governance requirements around elder care facilities, the committee recognises that it lacks the necessary expertise to manage these additional responsibilities," the statement said.

"As a result, the HSE Older Persons section now oversees the building. The committee would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to everyone for their generous help and support over the years. They remain committed to offering any assistance needed to the HSE in establishing this much-needed senior citizens centre."