BY AMY ROSE HARTE

THE Letterkenny Athletics Club (LAC) are expected to meet with local authorities this week as the battle continues for their long-term future.

The club will meet with the Letterkenny Town Council and Aura Leisure, the management company at new Sallaghagrane leisure complex, in an effort to secure a permanent contract at the complex. LAC maintain they will not leave their current home on the Pearse Road unless they are guaranteed residency as the only athletics club at Sallaghagrane.

In March, councillors voted against a proposal by the county manager which would have seen a road dissect the athletics club track on the Pearse Road. It was suggested at the time that the road would be included in the future once the LAC were happy with their move to Sallaghagrane.

UNSTABLE FUTURE

However, the LAC recently expressed fears that they were facing an unstable future if they entered an agreement with Aura, whose initial licence is understood to be less than five years. LAC say their requirements include a commitment from the council that they would have a long-term home at Sallaghagrane, regardless of any changeover in management structures at the complex.

Brendan McDaid, Chairman of the Letterkenny Athletics Club, is hopeful that the club will get the requirements they are looking for.

"The problem is that there hasn't been any meetings so far so we haven't had a proper answer from the council yet," he said.

"We have a meeting pending and depending on the outcome of that it will determine whether we move from our current location on the Pearse Road. We're looking to have an agreement with the council itself whereby even if the management changes, our agreement will still be place. No matter if the management company changes even after 10 or 15 years we still want to be in place," he said.