ORANGE resident and frequent visitor to Moulder Park Max Gregory says Moulder Park can look very scrappy at times and he’s right.
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The area is often littered with rubbish and dog poo and the waterways are frequently clogged with old plastic bags and shopping trolleys.
In parts there’s graffiti and peeling paint and the empty dog bag dispenser are an ongoing problem.
While Mr Gregory and many more of us would love to see the area better maintained the reality is it’s the antisocial members of our community who are really to blame for the park’s shabby state not Orange City Council.
Elephant Park, the children’s play area near Woodward Street, is extremely popular with families and as council spokesperson Nick Redmond says it’s taken its fair share of wear and tear over the years.
However it’s not normal wear and tear that upsets visitors to the park it’s the actions of the city’s vandals and undesirables who derive enjoyment from ruining community amenities.
In fact in recent years vandals have set fire to a swing set at the park and destroyed other equipment including a large costly shade cloth which they slashed with knives.
There’s also been several reports of syringes and illegal drug paraphernalia found in the area.
Over the years it’s been suggested that council rangers patrol the area more regularly, particularly when it comes to curbing the number of dogs off the leash, but this is not always possible.
In reality responsible dog owners should only allow their dogs off the leash in a designated area and council staff shouldn’t need to remind them to do the right thing.
While Mr Gregory has every right to highlight some of Moulder Park’s problems, the blame mustn’t rest entirely with council.
Sadly antisocial behaviour and vandalism is a problem all over the city and sadly Orange’s parklands are not immune.