Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O’Donovan has tonight suggested he is confident the €95.8m estimated as the final cost for the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be the final figure.
Mr O'Donovan has told RTE that the recent estimate which put the total cost at €95.8m was one he 'trusts' but did suggest that it was a cost that may yet rise.
"There is a lot of frustration among our members and the public around the estimates still being on the table given that the stadium opened 18 months ago," he acknowledged in the interview with RTE Sport.
Kevin O'Donovan, @OfficialCorkGAA CEO, discusses replacing the pitch at Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the implications for the stadium debt on the county with @MartyM_RTE pic.twitter.com/otQXwQEBrp
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) February 20, 2019
"The reason it is an estimate is that there are four issues still outstanding; negotiations with the contractor, negotiations with local government, negotiations with central government and the pitch situation.
"It’s the figure we have on the table at the money and I trust that figure.
"If you take the timeline back to when there was talk of €70m then €78m, €84m and then €86m and so on. A lot of those, up to the €86m, would have been approved at board level where there were changes made to the project.
"The reason the figure has taken this jump now is that they have taken a prudent and clear approach to those four outstanding issues and they have set that figure. That’s the figure I accept and will work with."
Mr O'Donovan also said he woud be pushing for full pitch replacement at the Pairc.
"This was embarrassing for our members, unfair on our players, it was unacceptable. We accept that and now we’re taking steps to fix that – that’s all we can do."
He went on: "I am certainly pushing for full replacement and the board will make a decision on that on Monday."