Glass House Mountains park maintenance making things worse, residents say
By Kirra Livingstone
GLASS House Mountains residents have expressed concern about the quality of maintenance at community parks.
Kaz and Richard Thomson’s house backs onto Smerdon Way Park in the Glass House Mountains township, and they say they have noticed a deterioration in maintenance standards at the park.
This reached a boiling point a few months ago when a contractor arrived soon after a downpour, only to get bogged down. Two weeks later, the contractor returned and again got stuck in the muddy grass, causing damage to the park’s grounds on both occasions, according to residents.
Residents also mentioned that the council had planted up to 100 trees in the park.
However, because they were planted too close together, they have now rotted and become a safety hazard.
Mr. Thomson stated that the standard of maintenance and the lack of attention were unacceptable, and the park is now largely unusable for locals.
“We have planted plants, tried to cut back trees, and remove branches from the path down to the park, but there is only so much we can do,” he said.
“Kids used to play cricket and football down there, people used to walk their dogs, and kids would even ride motorbikes there. People used to go for walks down the path to the park, but now there are too many broken branches and fallen trees across the path. I never walk my dog there anymore.”
Ms Thomson added that she feels Smerdon Way Park, and many other public facilities in Glasshouse Mountains, are forgotten.
“It’s like a forgotten area really,” she said.
“It’s like everything in Glasshouse. After 15 years of living in the area, you can see the quality of maintenance has gone downhill. Nothing gets mowed as often anymore; they are just not keeping up with maintenance.”
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson stated that the weather has caused some mowing delays. “Once favorable weather conditions return and the soil on site has had time to dry, council teams will rectify the damage caused during the recent mowing of the park,” the spokesperson said.
kirra@gcnews.com.au
