Playground Vandalism ‘At Crisis Levels’

What a spot…

atest press release from Cllr Jodie Neary, issued on Thursday, June 9th 2022…

Social Democrats Cllr for the Greystones District, Jodie Neary has said vandalism is at crisis levels at the South Beach Playground.

Cllr Neary has discussed ongoing maintenance issues with the council since the start of the pandemic caused supply chain issues for replacement equipment. In her most recent discussion with the Council this week, vandalism has been cited as a huge problem for maintaining the playground for public use.

Speaking on the issue, Cllr Neary says, “Despite repairs being carried out a month ago on the South Beach playground, several of the new equipment has since been damaged. The bridge has a panel snapped, the musical instruments have been ripped apart and the zipline seat damaged as well.

“I am regularly in touch with the Council about these concerns however, the latest episodes of vandalism has left us all downtrodden. It takes so much work to source, pay and physically replace all the equipment at this playground which is highly specialised.

“The Council have done tremendous work to keep it maintained with regular repairs but the question now is what’s the point in replacing if equipment keeps getting vandalised. I would be afraid to go down the lock-and-key route that other playgrounds in the area have had to go down, however it seems this may have to be considered in the long run.

“There have also been complaints about rubbish being left there and by Monday morning there are piles of coffee cups and other waste, including toilet waste, left across the playground. Greystones Tidy Towns and Greystones Council staff do weekly clean ups in the playground which is much appreciated, but their resources are stressed and it shouldn’t be on them to solely do the clean up work.

“I had organised a parent clean up group in the past but due to increasing workload it is not sustainable for me to be out there each week. It’s up to the community now to take over the regular upkeep of the place and for people to take responsibility and bring their rubbish home or throw it in the bins provided at the entrance of the playground.

“Other playgrounds across Wicklow have Committees set up with parents who work together to keep the place tidy. I would encourage any parents who are vested in the playground to come together and form a community group to keep the playground as accessible as possible to all those using it. It’s an amenity we are all so proud of and the fact that it is universally accessible makes it even more special. It’s time now that we as a community come up with a solution to the ongoing vandalism and litter problem in the playground we’ve grown to love.

“I am liaising with the Council to see what kind of solutions could be implemented and hope the community will work with me on this,” concludes Cllr Jodie Neary.