By Dominique Tassell
A local has disputed the statement by Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) that the Leslie Park cenotaph was repaired due to an “enquiry”, stating it was, in fact, a complaint.
The local wrote to the Mayor earlier this year following an incident on 3 August.
She stated that her daughter, her daughter’s partner and their child were walking back to their car parked in Fitzroy Street at Leslie Park after shopping at Coles Supermarket.
They crossed the road towards the Anzac memorial.
That day, there had been some rain and the surface was still wet.
Slightly to the left of the monument, her granddaughter slipped over and banged the back of her head on the concrete path.
She “immediately started vomiting and shaking and was rushed to the hospital emergency department”.
The hospital reportedly ruled the likelihood of a concussion in their release document.
The local stated they learned since the incident that the surface of the concrete is a honed surface, meaning that it has been polished in some manner to make it look smooth and shiny, and they had been told that a brushed concrete surface would have been better suited to public areas with high traffic.
They asked SDRC Mayor Vic Pennisi why someone in council signed off on this works order without “undertaking all necessary research regarding use, safety, and all other considerations as to what would be the most suitable for long-term protection and value to the community”.
She stated that this also raises the concern that, if more of these incidents happen, would the council then look at a reconstruction of the job, meaning an extra expense for the ratepayer in future years?
“I believe that you would be well aware that any incompetent work undertaken by the council which needs rectification, is a cost to the ratepayer?”
She stated in her email that she would like Mayor Pennisi to examine this matter and check the proposed works by the contractor and who signed off on the plans.
Southern Downs Regional Council was contacted for comment and has not responded.
