FOREST Hill residents feel they have been forgotten by Wagga City Council and have now submitted a petition urging greater investment in facilities in the village.
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The petition has more than 600 signatures and calls for better maintenance of playground equipment, a barbecue area, a skate park and greater access to the public toilets.
“I think Forest Hill has been a little bit forgotten,” said petition organiser Ellie Inman.
“There are a lot of key business areas in Forest Hill and I feel that there is a lot of investment but not for the local people.”
Of immediate concern is access to the public toilet block which residents say is rarely open, meaning there is no access to facilities.
Wagga RSL sub-branch president and Forest Hill resident, Kevin Kerr, has supported the petition and said it wasn’t unreasonable and a realistic approach was taken.
“We’re playing catch-up ... we have to be forward thinking and consider council’s budget,” he said.
A report on the petition will go to council’s Monday meeting and staff have recommended a number of changes.
It calls for the toilet block to be opened more often, but delays consideration of other aspects like the barbecue area and skate park.
“Given the location of the neighbourhood it may be of some benefit to the Forest Hill youth community
to have somewhere local to skate in the future,” the report reads; however, it stops short of recommending its approval right away.
Instead it estimates the skate park could cost about $200,000 and the barbecue area about $75,000, and these would be matters for future budget considerations.
Councillors will consider and debate the petition on Monday.