Senseless vandalism of public facilities is costing the Campaspe Shire community more than just the inconvenience of finding available alternatives – it is also costing thousands of dollars that could have been spent elsewhere.
A spate of graffiti and vandalism attacks on public toilets during the past two months has placed a significant strain on resources and disrupted access to essential public amenities, leaving Council officers frustrated by the time and money that must be spent in bringing the facilities back up to usable standards.
The following is a snapshot of incidents that have occurred over the past eight weeks, highlighting the financial and operational impact on our community:
Echuca East Community Centre public toilets: Extensive graffiti required professional cleaning to restore the facility. Cost: $500.
Old Pump House, Echuca: Structure was defaced, necessitating full repainting to cover the damage. Cost: $1,700.
High Street Echuca toilets: Graffiti damage led to the need to repaint the facility to restore the site's appearance and usability. Cost: $1,600.
Transit Centre Toilets, Kyabram: Fixtures including toilet pans and hand basins were destroyed, and walls were damaged. Repairs involved replacing multiple components and restoring the facility's structural integrity. Cost: $3,500.
Campaspe Shire Mayor, Cr Daniel Mackrell said aside from the inconvenience to the community when facilities needed to be closed due to senseless acts of destruction, the toll on Council resources was particularly concerning.
"These repairs are costly, and time-consuming," Cr Mackrell said.
"What's even worse is that the money we're having to spend on repairing these facilities is money that could have and should have been spent for the extra benefit of our communities.
"With this in mind, we'd like to ask our community members to keep an eye out for any suspicious or unusual activity around our public facilities," he said.
"If you see something, and it's safe to do so, please contact the police as soon as you can. Let's work together to keep our facilities open for the benefit of all."
