Beach facilities gone south

HUNDREDS of holidaymakers visiting Banana Beach are inconvenienced by the lack of toilet facilities.

It has to be asked why the toilet upgrade had to take place during the prime holiday season, leaving visitors without toilets or water. In the meantime, no portable toilets have been erected.

Thank goodness for a nearby caravan park, which is allowing visitors to use its facilities.

The toilets have been under construction since November, and complaints to the Herald have indicated that the contractors arrive to work in an state unfit for work.

Following these complaints, the Herald did a site inspection this week, and the quality of the workmanship on the building needs a professional eye cast over it. It has to be questioned just how long the quality of the workmanship will last?

The lifeguard tower is another problem. The dingy square room, sporting a cracked window, is poorly equipped with no radio. There is also no look-out platform for the lifeguards to have a clear view of the beach.

With no electricity to allow the lifeguards to charge their cellphones, coupled with no radio or sufficient medical supplies, it is worrying to imagine what will happen in the case of an emergency.

Will the lifeguards have to borrow a beachgoer’s phone to make an emergency call to get assistance?

At Southport’s Blue Flag beach there is a problem with the men’s toilets and a wooden railing is broken. There is also no toilet paper.

June Myers, chairman of the Bendigo Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, said holidaymakers pay lots of money to come to the coast to enjoy decent facilities.

She said the toilets are far from complete, and despite many emails to municipal officials she has received no feedback or interest in sorting out the problem.

Simon April-Soboyisa, Hibiscus Coast Municipal spokesman, said that upon investigation it has been established that the service provider/contractor was appointed in September to renovate the ablution facility at Banana Beach.

“The renovations started on October 7, and the contractor was given the month of November to finish all the work, unfortunately he failed,” he said.

Mr April-Soboyisa said  an in loco inspection had been conducted and the municipality was convinced that work would be completed and ablution facilities  fully operational by December 24.