First phase of ‘spacious and modern’ Athlone Garda Station is complete
Football fans have become accustomed to seeing contentious penalty decisions being analysed on a bank of television screens in the 'VAR room'.
Athlone's new-look Garda Station now has its own equivalent of a 'VAR room' - a large panel of eight separate screens, all showing live CCTV footage streaming in from various streets in the town centre and its surrounds.
It's just one of many impressive features incorporated into the first phase of the Athlone Garda Station redevelopment, which was completed in recent weeks.
The first phase of the €8.3m project involved an extension and complete refurbishment of the former social protection building, adjacent to the existing Garda station building on Barrack Street.
The building, which had been lying idle for more than a decade, has been thoroughly upgraded and its spacious facilities are in sharp contrast to the cramped and outdated building in which the Gardai had been working previously.
Earlier this month, the Gardai vacated their old premises and moved into the new-look building next door, while phase two of the project will involve the redevelopment of the now-empty station building to bring it up to modern standards.
A new atrium will ultimately connect the two buildings, meaning that when the project is finished Athlone's Garda Station will have more than doubled in size.
Last Thursday morning local Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, other politicians, and representatives of the media were given a tour of the first phase of the new station by Office of Public Works (OPW) staff and Athlone's new Superintendent, Aidan Minnock.
Superintendent Minnock has just returned to Athlone, after two years stationed in Dublin and Trim. He previously served here for more than seven years as an Inspector.
"I was lucky enough to return two weeks ago to this new, bright, airy, spacious, modern building," he said on Thursday.
"It’s well publicised that An Garda Siochana is in its transition phase of modernisation and renewal, and to be doing that with this new building in place is something we’re very appreciative of," he said.
Superintendent Minnock said he expects the project to be almost entirely completed in a year's time, and said it was already clear to him that the completed station would be a "spectacular" facility.
The project is being carried out by Sligo-based firm Kilcawley Construction. The local representatives who visited last Thursday were told that new insulation had been added to the walls and roof, to make for a highly energy-efficient building.
PVC windows which had previously been in place at the social protection building have been replaced with new windows in the style that would have been used in the building in earlier times.
'Boxer' said it had been the case "for far too long" that Athlone's Garda station had not been fit for purpose.
"I can assure you that some long, late nights took place in Dublin to get this (project) to where we are today, because there’s been a lot of false promises.
"A lot of Ministers came down here and cut tape and then nothing happened. But the work that went on to get this to where it is today is a credit to everybody, but trust me, it’s the minority Government that delivered it," he said.
He added that discussions were currently ongoing in relation to improving the parking facilities available to the Gardai at the new station.
* See this week's Westmeath Independent for an interview with new Athlone Superintendent Aidan Minnock