Next Monday (agenda p15+) Council will consider whether to dump the proposal for a regional playspace at Montrose Bay, and upgrade Giblin Reserve in Goodwood to a “regional” playspace.

Back in September last year (agenda p15) Council removed many components from both original playspace designs to reduce cost.

Montrose playspace

Village Green	Removed hard standing, power outlets and minor landscaping
Labyrinth	Removed
Dog Park	Removed
Future artwork	Removed
Forest Play	Ropes Removed

Giblins playspace

Cableway (Flying Fox)	Removed with the installation of a dual cable way (flying fox) at Montrose
Sensory Walkway	Removed
Intergenerational Future	Removed
Dog Park	Removed

But that was not enough. After Council saw the only complying tender response, they consulted a quantity surveyor for independent estimates of the work. Their report clearly indicated how optimistic Council had been with cost estimates. It makes one wonder what circumstances make Council decide to call in a quantity surveyor for a project?

Many organizations have used the pandemic as their default explanation for any problem since it started. But it’s hard to see how Council can explain away this schemozzle with COVID.

The recommendation for agenda item 10 is to try to divert all remaining funding to give the Giblin Reserve a super-upgrade to “regional” status.

While the first reaction of the very active Goodwood Community Centre might be great excitement about upgraded facilities, they should consider how the location might change as a result.

Car parking at Giblin, already less than Montrose, could become chaotic with playspace visitors competing with users of the boat ramp. Any overflow will go to Gepp Parade and Howard Road, roadways lined with residences. One virtue of Montrose is its separation from residential buildings by the Brooker Highway.

In arguing for the recommendation, Council for the first time treats traffic safety at the Montrose entrance as a serious issue. Curiously, despite the parking issues, it argues that Giblin traffic will be safer.

Finally, we are told that the draft Playspace Strategy currently open for public consultation has identified that two regionally significant playspaces so close together in Glenorchy “may constitute an oversupply”; let me know if you can find the reference. Curiously though, it does suggest the development of a regional playspace in the Tolosa Park Reserve.

The reader should recall that the original grant was a mere two million. Given that Council felt the need to immediately top that up with another 1.4 million, what did Council seriously expect to achieve with the original two million?

Council has three basic options on Monday – focus on Montrose Bay, focus on Giblins Reserve, dump the whole idea of a “regionally significant playspace” and use the $1.4 million for something else. It will be extremely interesting to see the discussion in Council.

Fingers crossed on Tolosa Park, another complex and large project coming soon!

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