Plans to improve Inobong Putaton basketball court
Published on: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
Landscaping staff found the net for the single hoop at the basketball court in Taman Tanaki lying at the bottom of the overhang.
PENAMPANG Municipal Council plans to improve the basketball court for a residential property, off Jalan Inobong Putaton Bansadon, and is trying to mitigate the nuisance created by livestock soiling the floor of this public amenity.
The agency is also in the midst of upgrading the playground equipment for another neighbourhood, off Jalan Penampang Lama.
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This follows feedback from a Taman Tanaki ratepayer and another in Taman Sahabat about the lack of maintenance carried out on the playgrounds in their respective areas.
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A Council Health Inspector noted that the grassy area on the border of the basketball court was soiled with livestock waste.
The former wanted to know why the basketball court didn’t have two hoops like the others around the district.
On top of not being able to play a proper game with only one hoop, she said those who used the court also had to reckon with the piles of dung left behind on the floor whenever buffaloes wandered into the playground.
Her peer from Taman Sahabat, meanwhile, spoke out about the safety hazards posed by the damaged swings and seesaws in the housing area.
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Their grievances were separately forwarded to the Council.
A spokesman for the agency’s Landscaping Division (LD) said three of its personnel went to Taman Tanaki a day after learning about the homeowner’s concerns.
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They confirmed that the basketball court only had one hoop and that it had fallen into a state of disrepair, according.
“The net was lying on the floor of the court as the wood to which it was attached had come away from the overhang,” he said.
“Our staff also came upon three separate piles of dung inside the lines at another part of the amenity.”
He said the court was cleaned up on the spot, while the relevant divisions were informed about the missing second hoop, the damaged fixture and the filth left behind by the livestock.
The hazardous playground equipment in Taman Sahabat has been cordoned off behind some security tape.
“We will keep an eye on the condition of the basketball court from time to time and have the floor cleaned if it warrants doing so.”
Five Health Inspectors with the Council checked the amenity two weeks after their Landscaping colleagues did.
Part of the court and the grass was found soiled with buffalo dung on this occasion, according to a spokesman for the agency’s Health Division.
He said those rearing these animals near Taman Tanaki would be reminded to fence up their compound and to keep their animals on their land.
“A notice to this affect will be given to the head of the village here to show all those concerned that we mean business.”
“We hope to drive home the message to livestock owners with his/her help.”
A spokesman for the Municipal’s Engineering Division said repairs would be made to the existing hoop at Taman Tanaki.
“Should our funds permit, we will also look into having another end on the opposite end of the court,” he said.
In the case of the playground at Taman Sahabat, the LD spokesman said the agency had ordered new equipment for the recreational area from Peninsula Malaysia.
“The damaged fixtures will be replaced with new ones once the order arrives in roughly two to three weeks’ time,” he said.
Landscaping staff confirmed that some of the playground equipment had fallen into a state of disrepair at the beginning of August, according to him.
“They observed that seats for many of the swings had splintered and the planks for one or two seesaws were gone. The benches, on the other hand, served no purpose as most of the wood had either become rotten or were missing.”
He said its personnel snapped photos of the damage to the various public amenities around the open space at the time.
The affected equipment was later cordoned off behind some security tape, according to him
“We hope that parents get the message and do not allow their children to use these amenities to avoid injury.”
When asked about the state of the neighbourhood’s basketball court, the spokesman said this amenity was found to be in good order.
“We suspect that some Good Samaritan upgraded the various fixtures, at some point, and even repainted the demarcations on the floor of the court.”
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