Parkes Shire Council has expressed concern about the number of break-ins and vandalism to the old Parkes Hospital site and wants to warn residents of the dangers of entering a prohibited area.
Parkes Mayor Cr Ken Keith said Council is particularly worried by the targeted vandalism at the site.
“Our community’s safety is paramount; we are concerned about the number of people especially young people illegally entering the site. The security fence is there for a reason – to keep our community safe and unauthorised people out of the site. The old hospital buildings are of some age and when damaged can be very hazardous” he said.
“Council is currently carrying out a tender process to ensure that council engages professional qualified contractors to safely remove and dispose of any potentially hazardous materials within a controlled and safe environment.”
In addition to the security fence Council has also engaged a security company to carry out regular patrols of the area, however, community members are also encouraged to report any vandalism or break-ins at the site to Police.
Following the Parkes Hospital relocation to its new $72.8M facility last year, Council has progressed to the demolition stage of the old hospital site.
As part of the agreement with Health Infrastructure, Parkes Shire Council has taken full control and responsibility of the old hospital site with approved contractors to commence work next month and practical completion of the project scheduled for November this year.
“We appreciate the community’s patience as we safely demolish the site and commence rehabilitation, and reiterate our message to keep an eye out and report any break-ins and vandalism to Police,” Mayor Ken Keith concluded.