Piet Buckle Park in dire need of maintenance
“There are also broken beer bottles in the park that could be dangerous for children. It’s just as bad and dangerous for animals at the park. I love animals and I want them to be in a safe environment." = concerned resident
For years an Impala Park resident visited the Piet Buckle Park to relax and appreciate nature’s beauty, but now he is claiming the state of the park is taking this privilege away from him.
According to the resident, who lives in the vicinity of the lake, the state of the park is deteriorating and something needs to be done by the metro.
“I’m extremely concerned about the condition of the park. The trees are in need of a good trim; the lake is grimy and was never this empty before. The metro can’t do anything about the drought, but they can do something about the trees.
“They used to cut the trees regularly, but it seems they’re not doing it anymore,” said the concerned resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
“Furthermore, the municipality had to remove swings in the park after a tractor drove into it and now the pipes are left sticking out of the ground. They just left it like this without considering that it poses a hazard for children playing in the park.
“I have lived here for 12 years and the park has never been in such a bad state. It started deteriorating four years ago. This is a popular park and families come here to spend quality time with their friends or families over the weekend.”
The Advertiser also spoke to Damion Keppler, Rasp Miley and Derick Hardy, who visited the park.
“We are from Bonaero Park and visit the park about two times a week to relax and spend time with friends. The park has never been in such a bad state and the drought is concerning,” said the visitors.
“Putting more trash cans in the park will definitely be the first step of improvement. The municipality should also consider appointing people to clean the park. They could also install benches.”
Metro response
According to Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, the metro spokesperson, the matter was brought to their attention and said they will once again assist.
“Our parks department has a maintenance plan in terms of tree maintenance and grass cutting while the pruning teams are scheduled to attend to the trees soon. The parks depot in Boksburg does the maintenance around the water bodies,” said Cebekhulu.
“Vandalism and littering is a major headache because they affect the budging processes. Litter picking takes place as and when required and teams will be sent to assist.
“We request the community to meet us halfway by refraining from littering and throwing litter in dustbins. EMPD may be contacted enforcing park rules.
“A contractor was assisting in repair and maintenance of play equipment on site. We brought it under his attention that all the cut pipes needed to be removed. An inspection will be done of the work completed.”
