Deemed unsafe: Maroondah Council has ordered equipment to repair the old timber at this Kilsyth South playground. Picture: Ted Kloszynski
A KILSYTH South father says Maroondah Council failed to properly shut down an unsafe playground for months.
But the council refuted the claims, saying it was clearly evident the playground — between Sheridan Close, Oliver Court and Chandra Avenue in Kilsyth South — was off-limits.
Father-of-three Steve Horner criticised the council for leaving the playground, deemed unsafe due to ageing timber, wrapped in orange plastic netting for more than two months before taking more serious steps to barricade it. He said in that time people had torn down the netting and used the playground regardless.
Mr Horner, who works in major construction, was angered that the council had not put up signs advising that the playground was dangerous. "There was never a sign on it or anything to say 'This is unsafe, please don't use'. If we did anything like that on a building site, the job would be shut by WorkSafe."
Maroondah Council's acting director of operations and infrastructure Lex Ritchie said that the bright orange netting was extremely visible and clearly indicated that the equipment should not be accessed.
"The council's playground maintenance team undertook daily inspections of the barrier to ensure that it remained in place. Once the council had a clearer timeline, in terms of delivery of items required to repair the structure, a more permanent timber barricade was installed."
Mr Ritchie said new equipment had been ordered and would be installed in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, families can use the playground at nearby Grayswood Reserve in Rendcomb Street.
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