The Heritage Park playground has been reopened after Lismore City Council reinstalled playground equipment destroyed by fire in July this year.
Around $50,000 of equipment was torched in the early hours of 15 July including two plastic slides, soft-fall, climbing ramp, timber fence and retaining walls.
The council has now replaced this equipment and completed associated landscaping in time for the school holidays.
Heritage Park Miniature Railway operator Brian Grey said he was thrilled with the news as he had witnessed visitation drop significantly since the vandalism five months ago.
‘Lots of people have said they are just not coming because the slides aren’t here,” Brian said.
‘It has had a big impact on my business, so I’m very excited to see the park return to normal and we hope to see it being well used again over the Christmas holidays.
‘It’s a great place to be when it’s full of kids and laughter – and in the middle of Lismore summers, it’s a lovely shady place for families to come for parties and picnics.’
Council’s Open Space Assets Coordinator Martin Soutar said vandalism was a real concern and the council was investigating practical measures to deter vandals in the future.
‘It is really disappointing – one person’s thoughtless act has cost the community a considerable amount of money and impacted on local kids and families wanting to use the park,” Mr Soutar said.
‘Staff are pursuing ways to help improve surveillance and security within the park, but for now, we are just happy to see the equipment back up and running for the summer holidays.’
