Muddy hell, what’s happened to our park?
A much loved Taranaki scenic reserve has been turned into a muddy pit by truck driving vandals tearing up the grass in massive group driving events.
Everett Park guardian Leanne Blakelock claims to have seen as many as 15 vehicles at once being driven dangerously at the riverside reserve near Inglewood.
‘‘They drive up and down the grass banks and hoon around performing skids.’’
’’It’s become a daily occurrence,’’ she said. ‘‘Good taxpayer dollars are being wasted cleaning up after a small percentage of people who feel it’s their right to trash public property.’’
The most significant damage is to the flat above the river. Normally covered in grass it is now a mud patch.
Elsewhere, tracks have been gouged down to the mud, fence posts knocked over and rubbish strewn around the bush.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) estimated it spent ‘‘several thousands of dollars’’ every year repairing damage at the park.
Blakelock, whose dairy farm borders the reserve, works in partnership with DOC to care for the land and is in charge of unlocking and locking the reserve gates every day.
While the area has long been burdened with the dumping of rubbish, Blakelock believed that was easing only to be replaced with the problem of boy racers frequently meeting at the park.
Usually the gatherings would see four vehicles performing skids, but recently Blakelock counted 15.
She was now asking the community to rally together to bring the vandalism to an end.
‘‘Step up Inglewood. It’s too easy to say ‘what are police and DOC doing about it,’.’’
If it doesn’t cease, Blakelock said access to the park may be cut.
‘‘It’s under constant review. The gates being opened every day is actually a privilege,’’ Blakelock said.
DOC’s Taranaki district operations manager Gareth Hopkins said the vandalism had resulted in two police prosecutions.
Bonfires were also being lit in the car parks to dispose of items such as stolen cars, sofas and tyres, and signs, fences and toilets were often being covered in graffiti, he said.
‘‘We face costs when vandals cut off the gate locks or pull the gate out of the ground or drop fences for access. The costs of labour, hardware and materials to repair the damage are several thousand dollars each year.’’