Resident said maintenance has gone downhill
By Kirra Livingstone
Resident Richard Thompson has expressed frustration at the lack of maintenance at Smerdon Way Park, claiming the Sunshine Coast Council has failed to act on concerns raised over a year ago.
Mr Thompson, whose property backs onto the park, said the standard of upkeep had deteriorated over several years.
He said council workers had previously attempted to mow the grass using a ride-on mower, only to become bogged, causing further damage to the site.
There were also a number of trees which had rotted and fallen down over a period of time. Twelve months after first raising the issue, Mr Thompson told GC&M News that conditions had not improved.
“The ground is holding water now and it’s all brown and muddy, there’s mozzies and trees that have come down,” he said.
“They do still come and whippersnip and go around the trees, but they don’t come very often.
“They must have reported the trees that have fallen down, but no one has taken them away.”
Mr Thompson said the state of the park was affecting his and his wife Kaz’s quality of life.
“The council told us they came to spray the mozzies, which we didn’t see them come.
“We can’t sit outside and have an afternoon drink or something without getting bitten by mozzies or even sandflies, it really is terrible.”
He added that he was growing more and more frustrated by the situation.
“I feel annoyed, but I can’t afford to be, I just got out of hospital, so I’ve got to be careful,” Mr Thompson said.
“I just think it’s an area that was always maintained, and I can’t understand why they’ve done what they did.”
He said he would welcome the opportunity to meet with Division 1 Councillor Jenny Broderick to discuss a solution.
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said they endeavour to maintain the park every four weeks but due to recent wet and warm weather, it has been difficult to keep up with mowing.
“There are no current enquiries or outstanding tree maintenance issues at this site,” they said.
“Council’s Arborist team attended the site in February 2024 and removed several dead wattle trees.”
