City Hall to replace fence, playground equipment
Published on: Wednesday, August 10, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
Landscaping staff putting up the security tape around the damaged playground equipment in Kolombong.
CITY Hall plans to replace the damaged fence and playground equipment at an open space for a Kolombong neighbourhood and has appealed to the administration of two schools nearby to get the youngsters, who attend these institutions, to be more respectful of these public amenities.The agency’s Landscaping staff confirmed that the fixtures on the reserve were not in good order, when they went there recently, according to a spokesman.ADVERTISEMENT
“From their condition, they looked as if they had been vandalised, much like what some of our rate-payers here feared,” he said.
“Our personnel measured the length of the damaged fence and took note of the irregularities involving the integrated playground equipment.”
He said the latter was cordoned off behind some security tape.
“We have informed the school authorities of our findings. We advised them to speak to their respective pupils and students about being more civic conscious as regards the facilities.ADVERTISEMENT
“On top of this, we asked the administration to ensure that their young charges looked after the cleanliness of this open space.”
The spokesman said letters to this affect were sent to both schools earlier this month. “We intend to have the necessary repairs made. If our funds allow, this will be done this year.
One of the agency’s staff measures the length of the fence, around the Kolombong open space, which is falling down.
ADVERTISEMENT
“If not, we will include the cost of this work in our budget for 2023.”
He said City Hall’s Landscaping Department had earlier carried out a similar inspection in an Inanam neighbourhood.
“They observed that the fence around the open space was in a state of disrepair in the third week of last month.
“The benches and playground equipment were also damaged.”
He said the seat for many of the swings was found have splintered which could potentially injure users.
The benches, on the other hand, served no purpose as most of the wood was missing, according to him.
The spokesman said its personnel attended to the benches on the spot and replaced the missing pieces.
“We are arranging to repair the swings and railings at the reserve. We have put up security tape around the affected swings. “We hope that parents get the message and do not allow their children to use the swings.
“This is the most that we can do while waiting for this problem to be resolved.”
He said the agency was sourcing for the right building material so that the railings could be dealt with as soon as possible. The spokesman said maintenance of playgrounds, under City Hall’s jurisdiction, was carried out on a case by case basis
“There are more than 350 playgrounds within our rating area, which makes it challenging for us as our officers cannot be everywhere at once to check on the condition of each and every one of these open spaces.”
To this end, he hoped that the public would inform the agency directly of any irregularities involving its playgrounds so that action could be taken to deal with these problems.
ROYCE of Kolombong said most of the fence around the playground in his neighbourhood was no longer up right and the equipment inside was in a bad state. “The seats for the swings and the chains which hold them up have been missing for some time,” he said.
He said rubbish – including junkfood packaging, drink cartons and sweet wrappers – was often strewn about the open space when the schools finished for the day.
“The pupils and students are an embarrassment to their schools.
“The teachers should take more trouble to instil a sense of civic consciousness among these youngsters.”
Royce said some of those living in the neighbourhood had voiced their displeasure about the property damage and litter to the school authorities.
“They were apparently told that the schools have little control over what went goes on at the open space since it located outside the compounds of these buildings.”
ADAM of Inanam, meanwhile, spoke out about the poor condition of the playground in his housing area.
“The state of the equipment appears to be deteriorating. These facilities are so run down that most of the paint on them has peeled away,” he said.
“The wood for some of the equipment is chipped and youngsters can easily cut themselves on the sharp edges while scrambling up these structures.”
Adam hoped City Hall would take the potential hazards posed by these facilities seriously. “The agency should be more proactive in looking after these public amenities and not allow them to fall into a state of disrepair.
“Will the agency accept liability if a youngster comes to harm because of the poorly maintained equipment?”
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.