Excitement and relief were felt in equal measure as contractors moved in to the Kesh and Ederney sites of the North Fermanagh Valley Park (NFVP) project last week.
Four years on since the two communities put in an ambitious bid with funder, Big Lottery Space and Place, for £1 million to enhance the area, the project is now expected to be completed by the end of September this year.
Working with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and others to bring the project to fruition, development of sports facilities has been the main focus. 
These amenities, namely a tartan running track, gym and multi-purpose studio will provide great opportunities to existing and new sports groups, as well as individuals, to have access to such state-of-the-art training facilities on their doorstep. 
There will be other facilities that equally encourage families and individuals to get out and get active, including refurbished tennis courts, and a walk/bicycle trail amongst others.
Chairman of the group, Sean Donnelly expects the facilities will be available to the public for use from the beginning of October with contractor, Noel McQuaid from Dromore hoping to stick to a nine-month timescale, weather permitting.
“I think the general feeling amongst people in the community is one of relief more than anything, to see work starting on both sites,” Mr. Donnelly told the Impartial Reporter this week.
“Relief, that at long last we are actually getting started on site. I’m sure people were wondering if it was ever going to happen at all. We were growing impatient ourselves with the delays and various things holding us back. But we now we have an end date to work towards.
“There is also a sense of excitement that these facilities will be on our doorstep at the end of this year. And the fact that it is a cross community project as well makes it all the more rewarding. Both communities have worked so hard to see this come to fruition.
“£1 million is a huge investment,” he acknowledged, “We could have taken the easier option and put in a bid for £300,000 for a smaller project. Applying for the £1 million, we knew we could be up against intense competition. But our gamble has paid off and we are glad we took the chance.
“We remained steadfast in our end goal and are completely enthralled that finally works have began.”
Through Facebook forums the NFVP committee intend to keep everyone updated with progress on both sites.