VEC looks to future in final meeting
Cavan VEC met for the last time on Wednesday... but has agreed to a 25-year deal with the County Board.
The education and training authority established in 1930 held their last-ever monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 26 and will now be amalgamated with Monaghan VEC to form a new education body for both counties.
As one of their last acts the committee agreed to extend a deal with Cavan County Board to develop facilities at Cavan Institute on the site of the old Dun Ui Neill Barracks.
The existing 10-year deal with the GAA sees the county board use the pitch and facilities at the college in return for developing the facilities. The proposal before VEC members from the County Board was to extend that deal of the County Board’s usage out to 25 years, with no other changes to the existing agreement.
Under the proposal there would be a full-size, all-weather pitch, floodlights and attendant facilities.
Money
Mr McEvoy pointed out that the “considerable” money required to develop the existing facility was beyond the VEC. A figure was never mentioned.
Cllr Shane P O’Reilly, who proposed the motion, said it as a “win-win” situation and that “VEC would never have the money to do it”.
But the proposal was questioned by Cllr Terry Argue who asked why the County Board needed a fifth pitch when grounds at Killygarry, Cavan Gaels, Drumalee and Breffni Park were already in place. Mr McEvoy said there was “no way I’d be talking about it if we had the money” and that the college was seeking a facility to host its own games and to bear in mind the standard achievable if the college had its own sports facility.
A period of 20 years was suggested by Cllr Fergal Curtin while Cllr Grainne Brady said the extension of the agreement to 25 years did seem “a big jump”. Cllr Peter McVitty said that while 25 years was a long time he agreed in principal as long as the VEC was not adversely affected. Under the existing agreement the VEC had priority over the County Board for usage.
Legal advisor Paul Kelly told members that the only thing changing was the term - “apart from that each paragraph still stands” - and that the 25 years depended on a fully-developed pitch.
Priority
After a suggestion from Cllr Paddy O’Reilly, there was consensus that the committee would agree to 25 years if the County Board would concede that priority of use was extended beyond Cavan Institute to all VEC schools.
It was further requested that Cavan Institute teams and VEC schools have access to Breffni Park and that a space be made in the County Board’s yearbook for VEC teams.
Cllr Tony Farrelly said it was a “very positive move”, considering it would ease the financial burden on the VEC, and that 25 years was not a long time when considering the 83 years of the VEC.
Councillors agreed on the 25-year proposal after Cllr Curtin withdrew his proposal of 20 years.
Mr McEvoy said the long-term goal was a Sigerson Cup weekend, and for it to be considered a home for football.
“Football is akin to religion here, I will send the letter back in that spirit, it could be very beneficial,” he said. And with that the last meeting of Cavan VEC concluded, the group will now join with Monaghan VEC to form Cavan-Monaghn Education and Training Board.