HOLE LOT OF TROUBLE
Council says ‘call us instead’ as DIY concrete crusader threatens to fill in public hazard
A CONCRETE crusader had vowed to fill a dangerous hole in the footpath on the corner of Moorabool and Carr streets before council finally stepped in to fix the problem.
Peter Mackinlay, a Moorabool St resident, accused the council of ignoring the issue for weeks and said he feared someone would break their ankle or neck in the hole.
Late yesterday – hours after Mr Mackinlay threatened to take matters into his own hands – City of Greater Geelong workers swooped to repair the hole, which surfaced after a cover went missing on a survey marker.
Hours before the hole was repaired, Mr Mackinlay said council’s inaction was “pretty bloody pathetic”.
“Last night, my daughter complained to me about nearly tripping in it,” he said on Tuesday. “If it is not fixed very soon, I will buy a sack of concrete mix and do it myself.”
Mr Mackinlay said an initial complaint to City Hall was referred to Barwon Water on January 16.
But yesterday the council said it had no record of him registering a complaint until this week. “If residents believe that maintenance needs to be conducted by the City they should contact us to have the matter rectified,” a council spokesman said.
He did not say what penalties Mr Mackinlay could have faced if he went ahead with his plan to fill the hole.
Barwon Water also distanced itself from the issue, with a spokeswoman saying it had no responsibility for the survey marker.
However, the organisation had put its hand up to help Geelong council with a shortterm solution. “In the interests of public safety, a cover for the hole was offered to the City of Greater Geelong, if required,” the spokeswoman said.
In an email sent on Tuesday, and seen by the Addy, Mr Mackinlay warned the council it was exposing itself to potential lawsuits.
“I believe it is shameful in the extreme that you have not had this attended to, and suggest that the council would bear the liability if a person was injured and it was known that you did not use your best endeavours to remediate it at the earliest opportunity,” he said.