Vandalism that forced Mallow playground to shut could cost up to €80k
A On March Woodview 1 Structures Safety At Mallow Drive Wooden The Playground In Council Cork Cut With County Saw Through Vandals Several Picture:
A north Cork playground has been temporarily closed after being deemed unsafe due to serious damage to equipment.
Vandals cut through several wooden safety structures with a saw at the Woodview Drive Playground in Mallow on March 1. They also cut climbing ropes and excrement was found on the equipment.
Cork County Council said they have "no choice" but to remove the impacted equipment from the playground given the extent of damage and possible safety hazards.
The council said some €20,000 was spent repairing previously vandalised equipment in the same playground last year, but they feel the costs of restoration will be “significantly higher” this time around due to the “structural integrity being compromised”.
Fine Gael councillor Tony O'Shea said the vandalism at the playground has been ongoing for several years.
“They cut through wire ropes, they cut the uprights to some of the equipment in there, so it most certainly isn’t safe and had to be immediately closed.
“It is disappointing to see because Woodview Drive is a lovely area, and it is a lovely playground. It is well utilised and the kids are going to suffer,” Mr O’Shea said.
Mr O'Shea said Cork County Council will discuss the vandalism at the next council meeting this month.
“Is there a hard decision going to be made here? I don’t know," he told Patricia Messinger on C103's .
“We could repair all that and have it done in a few months and we could be having this conversation again,” Mr O’Shea added.
He estimates €60,000 to €80,000 worth of damage was caused.
“We are going to have to go to central government for funds and I’m told it could cost anything between €60,000 to €80,000 to replace what has been damaged.
“There’s no CCTV but we do carry out routine inspections on a weekly basis, on all playgrounds and this is how this came to light."
Gardaí told the that investigations are ongoing.