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Moira Shire Council has advised that contractors are on site today and tomorrow (Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th November) at its newly opened Yarrawonga Splash Park undertaking urgent resurfacing of the softfall surface.

The works follow the Council having closed the splash park on Friday 3rd November - the day that it opened - over safety concerns, a decision that it advised it took “with great disappointment”.

The immediate improvements followed inspections of the surface resulting from community observations which found the surface to be unsafe for children playing on the equipment, with a number of slips and falls reported during periods of high activity.

To avoid any serious injuries from occurring, Moira Shire Council announced the closure of the park as of the evening of 3rd November to provide an urgent follow up inspection of the facility.

Advising that this was not the ideal situation but that the Council did not want to risk people’s safety, Moira Shire Council Chair to the Panel of Administrators, John Tanner stated “this was a disappointing outcome which we were not anticipating, and we apologise deeply to the community for feeling let down on this project.

“We acted as soon as possible to protect our community and visitors as we could not risk injuring a member of the public.”

Since the 3rd November the play space has remained closed while further inspections were undertaken, with the Council reporting there are particular sections with less friction but according to standards within acceptable levels.

As a result, the entire park area is being resurfaced to ensure consistent application of material is laid to eliminate any smooth surfaces.

Council interim Chief Executive Michael Tudball said it was unfortunate to close the park, but these additional inspections have allowed for appropriate rectification works to be made for everyone to have a safer and more enjoyable experience at our splash park.

Tudball advised “we are not going to put the community at any risk of injury, we took into consideration the reported feedback and conducted site inspections to arrive at an appropriate rectification of the issue. The park will remain closed until the resurfacing works can be completed and retesting occur prior to reopening.”

A reopening date for the park will be advised following these works.

Image: Yarrawonga Splash Park. Credit: Moira Shire Council.

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