Two major Helmsdale infrastructure projects nearing completion
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Two major infrastructure projects in Helmsdale are set to come on stream within the next few months.
The village’s public toilets, which have been closed since 2018, are due to reopen following an extensive £217,000 refurbishment.
And a new £500,000 MUGA (multi-use games area) is also nearing completion.
Both projects have been brought to fruition by Helmsdale and District Development Trust.
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Helmsdale MUGA on the 'home straight'
At a meeting of Helmsdale Community Council last Wednesday, Trust director Barbara Jappy paid tribute to development trust manager Mary Stewart.
She said that the toilets project had not been straightforward but that Ms Stewart had pushed through.
“She came up against so many stumbling blocks but she never gave up and always seemed to find a way,” said Ms Jappy
The development trust took over the toilet block from Highland Council after an issue over ownership of the site was resolved.
It had been feared the local authority would permanently close the facility.
The toilets were stripped back to the bare shell with all internal walls and fixtures removed to create a better layout.
Both the gents and ladies side of the block now have disabled facilities as well as adult changing facilities and coin operated showers.
Parts of the roof have been replaced and solar panels installed.
Ms Stewart said: “We will shortly be able to open our facility and believe it will not only be something that Helmsdale can be proud of, but it will also bring people into the village which will boost our local economy.
“I think we as a community have felt the negative impact since the council closed the toilets but we can now reverse that and bring people back.”
The development trust is also nearing the finish line on its MUGA scheme, work on which started in January last year.
However the project also suffered some setbacks, with delays experienced in the delivery of its roof.
The two-court MUGA has been built by specialist contractor DOE Sport on the site of a former tennis court that had fallen into disrepair.
The all-weather facility consists of a 3G astroturf pitch for football, hockey or shinty and a porous macadam surface for games such as tennis basketball or netball.
Funding for the two projects came from a variety of sources. Both schemes saw the cost of material increase dramatically over the year and further funding applications were required.
“We are hugely grateful to our funders for their financial support,” said Ms Stewart.
