Trim groups form action committee for theatre

Trim Town Council was planning to meet local dramatic and musical groups affected by the recent closure of the town hall for public performances. The groups learned that the town hall was to be closed to the public after a fire report, described as "damning", revealed that the hall was in need of over €730,000 in repairs. The report was presented to councillors at the September meeting of the town council, which drew around 100 people, gathered outside the chamber highlighting their concerns. The two major groups - Trim Musical Society and Trim Drama Group - have now formed an action committee and intend to meet council officials and councillors at the first opportunity "to help deliver a theatre for Trim". Said Kevin Shelly of Trim Drama Group: "The 'Theatre - Action Committee Trim' (t-ACT) will actively pursue the establishment of a theatre in Trim, be that the existing town hall or a new venue. t-ACT looks forward to meeting representatives of Trim Town Council, as offered at their 13th September Council meeting. He said the group wanted to make a number of comments on the story in last week's Meath Chronicle which revealed that "repairs to Trim Town Hall will cost almost three-quarters of a million euro if it is to stage public performances again". The committee has three main issues it said it wishes to bring to council officials and councillors: a breakdown of the cost, how long is the hall likely to be closed and how it was allowed to degrade to its present state. "The article quotes from a town council report related to the inspection and survey of the town hall facility. While it is recognised that the town hall needs some investment after years of neglect, some of the figures quoted in the report seem very high. It would be good to see a more detailed breakdown of the proposed costs," he said. "According to the report, the council has had to take 'the short-term decision to curtail the use of the public assembly area'. What is meant by the phrase 'short-term'? We are being led to believe this is not a 'short-term' curtailment," he added. "The report states that 'the works required are mainly due to poor construction of the original building combined with the building's present age'. This statement is missing one very significant additional cause of the present situation - that being the neglectful manner in which the council managed its maintenance responsibilities for the venue, and how they allowed the town hall facilities to degrade to the present state," he said. At the September meeting of the council, a motion proposed by Cllr Donall O'Brien, himself active in Trim Drama Group, that the town council would "endeavour to provide the groups of the town with a functioning safe and usable town hall" was unanimously supported. A statement from Mr Shelly said that the public's support for the local groups was "huge" and that they were determined to continue performing. "On behalf of both Trim Musical Society and Trim Drama Group, t-ACT would like to acknowledge the huge support received from the public since the news of the closure of the town hall. Trim Musical Society and Trim Drama Group are determined to keep going and to continue to provide top-class drama and musical entertainment for Trim and the surrounding community," he said.