Dangerous tube slides at St Kilda Adventure Park closed, need $340,000 spent to replace them
TUBE slides at St Kilda Playground’s “volcano” will be replaced after reports of broken bones, severe burns and a dislocated knee, less than a year after they were installed for $600,000.
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TUBE slides at St Kilda Adventure Playground’s “volcano” will be replaced after reports of injuries including broken bones, severe burns and a dislocated knee, less than a year after Salisbury Council spent $600,000 installing them.
The council last week voted to dismantle the steeper of the two “tube slides” on the playground’s volcano feature, after receiving “a number” of reports of injuries this year. It will now spend another $340,000 fixing the issue.
The council refused to provide further details of injuries, but comments on the playground’s Facebook page showed at least seven reports of accidents, including one post by Mahveen Uzair, who said she broke her leg.
Councillor Brad Vermeer said it was “disappointing” more money had to be spent on the playground and a more thorough design and evaluation process should have been engaged to avoid residents being unnecessarily injured.
The council spent $600,000 upgrading the Volcano attraction as part of a $3.5 million overhaul that made it the “best playground in the state”, according to Mayor Gillian Aldridge.
The slide was expected to be ready for last year’s October school holidays but the delay kept the playground closed while the council waited for it to be certified as safe. The slides have been closed since April this year.
A report to council last month said both tubes slides “comply with relevant legislation and standards” and had been “independently certified” following initial construction.
The slide will be replaced with another “wave” slide — with a gentler incline — for $270,000, while $70,000 will be spent to reduce the angle of the remaining tube slide — from 51.5 degrees to 45 degrees — and lower the surrounding deck by 1.5m to make it safer for children.
The council issued a written statement stating that the slides were closed as a safety precaution in April.
“In the interests of community safety, two slides on St Kilda Adventure Playground’s volcano attraction were closed in April, 2016, after (the) council became aware of a small number of injuries occurring,” the statement read.
“At this stage no date has been set for these works to be completed.”
Lewiston father Greg Szymaniak was disappointed the tube slides had been closed for issues that he believed should have been considered during the planning process.
“For something this new to be closed, you would think you’d do your homework first,” Mr Szymaniak said. “Surely they would have based these (slides) on other designs?”
Mr Szymaniak said his three girls, Sienna, 6, Kasia, 8, and Elsa, 4, had enjoyed the slide previously.
A report to the council last month stated the main concern about the steeper slide related to “the speed of users” which was being caused as a result of the “steepness” of the feature, which could lead to “adverse rotation and/or twisting of the user” within the slides.
The $270,000 wave slide would likely be funded in the council’s next budget.