THE Finnan Park playground, situated next to the Grahamstown Dam in Raymond Terrace, has been slated for removal in June, having been fenced off for several months.
Hunter Water Corporation has stated that the equipment, which they own, is no longer safe to use and they do not operate playgrounds as part of their core services.
Port Stephens Council has approved a notice of motion, put forward by Cr Giacomo Arnott, to attempt to prevent the closure of the park.
In reply to Hunter Water’s statement, Cr Arnott said he found the reference to the park not being a core service “interesting”.
“Because their annual report lists a whole bunch of initiatives that it undertakes in the community that don’t fit under any of their core services of undertakings,” he said.
“It costs $150k on average to build a playground.
“In the last financial year, Hunter Water’s annual report showed it brought in $447m in income, holding on to $7.4m as a final profit that they didn’t have anything to spend on.”
Cr Paul La Mottee added: “They can’t say they don’t have the funds for it.
“What they don’t have is the appetite for it.”
Port Stephens councillors unanimously agreed with the motion, citing their own memories of the park and the importance of the playground to the community.
“As a little kid, I used to go there to use the equipment, and I even hosted some of my own kids’ birthday parties there,” recounted Cr Nathan Errington.
Cr Ben Niland stated that, “With the cost-of-living crisis, there’s probably lots of families that use Finnan Park as a way to still try and create happy times with their kids.”
Port Stephens Council will write to the Managing Director of Hunter Water, as well as to the Member for Port Stephens, the NSW Minister for Water, the NSW Minister for Finance, and the NSW Treasurer, to bring the matter to their attention and to resolve the issue.
Cr Arnott also urged councillors and locals to sign and share a petition calling for Hunter Water to fix and reopen the playground.
This can be found on his Facebook page.
Hunter Water has been contacted for further comment.
By Nico LOMBARDO
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