Yass Valley Council will match a $130,000 state grant to replace the popular spiral slide at Coronation Park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
KEY POINTS:
- The slide has been non-compliant and uninsured since 2016
- A child almost fell off the unenclosed slide at three metres up
- The community will be consulted on new plans for the park
The decision was made regretfully by seven councillors at the council's ordinary meeting on Wednesday, February 27, when a report was presented showing the slide was non-compliant and uninsured, and that a child had almost fallen off it, three metres up, in 2016.
Councillor Michael McManus was the only one to speak against the slide's removal, saying it "had been fine for 40 years."
He said he used to take his children to the slide and that the decision represented the "madness of the modern world".
"Children fall off monkey bars and swings all of the time. We put a cage around the slide stairs ten years ago and it's been fine since," Cr McManus said.
However, the remaining seven councillors said that while it would be a shame to see the slide removed after so many years, the safety of children in the park had to come first.
“As a mother of five, my kids love that slide and I will be the worst person when I go home tonight, but we are in the business of keeping kids safe in our park," councillor Jasmin Jones said.
"I think we have to let this one slide," Cr Jones said.
The council report said the slide was found non-compliant during an independent audit of local parks by Kico Playground Inspection Services in 2016.
The auditor said the slide had a fall height of more than three metres; the Australian Standard maximum fall height is two metres.
The audit also identified the slide's steep stairwell with several potential entrapment points and the danger of the slide unenclosed.
As the slide was found to be non-compliant, the council has been unable to insure it since 2016 and would be liable for any injuries or damages incurred on it.
The funding was received from the NSW government’s ClubsGrant Category 3 Infrastructure Grants Program and the council will allocate its half of the money in the 2019/20 budget.
The rest of the playground equipment is due for an upgrade and will also be replaced using the funding.
The public will be consulted on plans for the new playground, which could include multiple slides and a ground trampoline, according to a council report. The existing slide also may be converted into an artwork.