Residents are anticipating the replacement of Carroll Park’s toilet block in March after complaints about the facility’s condition.
Carroll Progress Association’s Robyn Hattam said the toilets are in dire need of replacement, and in the current condition should have been “condemned”.
She said the toilet block upgrade had an original start date in February last year. However, paper work issues at Gunnedah Shire Council meant the project’s movement remained at a standstill.
A council spokesperson confirmed the public toilets will be replaced next month.
When Ms Hattam was asked if the toilet block had been a problem, she replied,”[it] should have been replaced over 20 years ago. That is how bad they are”.
“[For] the amount of people that pull into this park on a daily basis … [the toilets] are not suitable.”
Issues listed to the Gunnedah Times included rusted tin, the system needing to be pumped once a month, sometimes more depending on the rain.
The holdback on the facilities has also affected the progress of other initiatives by the association’s members.
Ms Hattam has stored old fencing from Carroll Public School in her yard for two years with the intention of using it to fence along the community grounds.
The association cannot follow through with those plans until the toilet block is fixed.
“[We want to] make the park more friendly for children to run around without running onto the road because it is a busy road,” she said.
“So that parents can be a bit more relaxed rather than chasing little ones around and hopefully not going out onto the road.
“It will be a big relief when [council] gets the toilets done so we can get the fence done.”
A council spokesperson said that while the toilets are in need of replacement, it meets all regulations and are cleaned twice a week.
“All council infrastructure projects must meet local government requirements for planning, design, procurement and all other relevant regulations. For this project, the design for two fully accessible separate toilets (male and female) needed to be finalised, and contractors needed to be procured in line with council’s procurement framework. The project timing is also contingent on contractor availability,” the spokesperson said.
“The new toilet block will be a significant improvement on the existing infrastructure.”
Moving forward on Carroll Community Grounds
An updated toilet block and fencing are not the only initiatives on Carroll Progress Association’s list.
Robyn Hattam said further plans for improving the Carroll Community Grounds includes a shelter area, grandstand area, seating around the oval and skate park.
The association expects to pay for the upgrades itself through
fundraising unless it can secure grant money to do so.
A most recent update came when an attempt was made to break into the supply shed, thus funds went into the purchase of a more secure shed last year.
That money raised was intended for items such as hoses, sprinklers, crape myrtle trees, some of which were paid for by council, and a dripper system.
Their eyes are currently set on fundraising for more picnic tables around the oval to suit the cricket games the grounds host along with trees to combat the lack of shade.
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