Kirkcaldy YMCA community project stays afloat as drainage issue solved

The ongoing build of Kirkcaldy YM’s new community hub is back on track thanks to a crew of groundwater specialists who have solved an issue with drainage at the site which threatened to stop the completion of the new building.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Gallatown Community Centre project in Kirkcaldy ground to a halt when its budget couldn’t stretch to provide drainage for the site.

The nearest storm drain was so far away that connection would have added an additional £80,000 to the already stretched £700,000 budget.

And that left them with a major challenge to solve.

Kirkcaldy YM's general secretary, Liz Easton.Kirkcaldy YM's general secretary, Liz Easton.
Kirkcaldy YM's general secretary, Liz Easton.

Liz Easton, YMCA general secretary, said: “

“We just didn’t have the money to do the work.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"But the solution came about as a complete fluke as a contractor on site had just been working with Groundwater Dynamics.

“We got in touch and they found the right solution for us.”

Frank O’Donnell, from Groundwater Dynamics, shunned the traditional method of connecting to the storm drains and approached the problem from a different angle.

Frank said: “We used the Eco 90 system which involves drilling 12 metres down to ensure water is not trapped at the surface and can travel into multiple layers of soil for drainage.

“This solution is perfect for many projects when connecting to storm drains and combined sewers is either not viable or has been refused.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The community centre which will provide a range of services including youth outreach, mental health support and sporting activities is due to open at the end of August 2021.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

Related topics: