Huge cost to repair skate park vandalism
COUNCIL officials have revealed that the cost of cleaning up the vandalism to the skate park at Gorey’s Town Park will run into the thousands.
Mindless vandals burned a considerable amount of building materials on the skate park on New Year’s Eve. The site was cleared last week to reveal considerable damage to the public amenity.
The area remains closed off to the public, and tomorrow (Wednesday) contractors will assess the full extent of the damage.
District Manager of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Michael Drea described the act of vandalism as ‘very disappointing’.
On inspection last week after the debris from the fire was removed from the bowl, we discovered that significant damage was done to the concrete bowl itself.
‘It has had to be closed because it’s unsafe, and the skate park will remain closed until such time that we can establish how to re-mediate the issue.
‘It’s very disapponting that we’ve had to close a public amenity, but unfortunately this is going to be a matter of weeks rather than days before we can get a resolution,’ he said.
Contractors will draw up a costing tomorrow and scope the work ahead, and Michael Drea said that after this week, Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District will have a better idea around the time frame of reopening the skate park.
‘I would fear that the cost is going to be significant and could run into the thousands.
‘Whilst the damage might be confined to one area, to get a consistency of surface, it’s quite likely that we will have to deal with a much larger area.
‘It’s possible that the contractors will need to pour concrete not just on the location, or else we are going to end up with different edges and levels within the bowl which would be unsafe also,’ he said.
The vandalism had been reported gardaí at Gorey Garda Station who are investigating.
Malcolm Byrne TD described the vandalism as ‘unacceptable’ and highlighted a need for the extension of CCTV to the area.
Michael Drea said that CCTV is planned as part of the re-development work to Gorey Town Park, and that he hopes it will act as a deterrent to any further acts of vandalism.