AARON KENT
Five benches were pulled from the ground in People’s Park, Waterford City, over the weekend and placed on the bandstand. Some have suggested this was done by a group who drank there late into the night.
The People’s Park has been a site of continual vandalism in recent years. Last May some of the Park’s Big Belly solar power bins had to be removed after being set on fire. The previous year there were reports of power tools being used to destroy fencing during consecutive nights of damage. The playground has also seen multiple episodes of vandalism.
Fine Gael Councillor, Frank Quinlan, has spoken publicly on the issue multiple times.
“These cast iron benches cost a lot of money. It’s such a shame to see anti-social behaviour happening in the park again. The People’s Park is there for people to enjoy not destroy,” Cllr. Quinlan said.
As a solution, Cllr. Quinlan has reiterated his call for CCTV that can be monitored in the Garda Barracks.
“Community Wardens and the Gardaí did a wonderful job over the summer patrolling the area but they can’t monitor it 24/7, because other areas need attention at busy times,” he said.
“The installation of lights is overdue at this stage, it can’t happen quick enough. Hopefully that will stop some of the vandalism taking place at night, as that is when it mostly happens.
“CCTV monitored from the Garda barracks, like they have in the City centre, would also be beneficial,” Cllr. Quinlan added.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
