There is a chronic lack of Park Rangers in Tymon Park, resulting in security concerns and huge overtime bills, according to reports from Park Rangers. People Before Profit candidate for Tallaght Central Jess Spear has been contacted by Park Rangers raising concerns about the issue, following her involvement in the successful campaign to increase maintenance and monitoring at the Watergate Park. Now she is calling to hire more Park Rangers, for Tymon Park and other parks in Tallaght.
“I was shocked to hear that there are only two Park Rangers for Tymon Park, compared to six for Corkagh Park in Clondalkin. Those two rangers are run off their feet, trying to maintain what is the second biggest park in all of Dublin. I’ve also been informed that they lack the proper equipment, and have no vehicle capable of going off-road in the park, meaning that if there was an incident or security issue in the park it could take over 20 minutes for them to get there as they have to leave the park and travel via the main roads.
“With only two rangers for the whole park that means whenever someone is out sick or on leave, other council staff have to be drafted in to help out, building up large overtime bills. With one of these now retiring, the Council has moved to hire two new Rangers, one is starting in June and one in July, but we need more. We need to hire a whole team of Park Rangers, not just for Tymon Park, but also to monitor and maintain our other parks. For instance, the staff informed me Watergate Park used to have two Park Rangers before they were cut six years ago.
“These parks are a beautiful asset to our community, and the Park Rangers do a great job, but we need more to ensure it is properly maintained and a safe place for everyone. Over the last few years, I’ve been working with Paul Murphy TD and local communities to fight for proper investment into our parks, but we keep coming up against resistance from the Council. It seems the Council and many Councillors do not realise just how important these parks are to families and our communities, and the crucial role Park Rangers play in keeping them safe and secure.
“As a Councillor I will fight for investment in our parks, and work with communities and Council workers to fight for more Park Rangers.”
