Management at City Hall rule out hiring park rangers

At a local authority meeting last week, Chief Executive of Galway City Council Brendan McGrath said it would cost at least €320,000 to hire eight new staff to patrol the city’s wooded areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He said it was not budgeted for and hiring park rangers was not included in its strategic plan for this year.

“I can’t make it happen in 2021,” insisted Mr McGrath. But he vowed to report back to city councillors with a plan detailing how the Council might be able to provide more wardens to protect parks in future years.

Director of Services, Dermot Mahon, highlighted a number of potential problems with the proposal but Imelda Byrne, the Fianna Fáil city councillor, received cross-party support from a majority of elected members.

Cllr Byrne’s motion read: “Galway City Council agrees on the need for full-time on-the-grounds wardens seven days a week in the main city parks to ensure that they are safe and of high maintenance for the benefit of the public and of biodiversity.”

She explained that full-time wardens were needed at Terryland Forest Park, Bearna Woods and Merlin Woods.

Cllr Byrne, in introducing the emergency motion, said it was “upsetting” to learn that the Environment Department of the Council had an under-spend of €700,000 last year. She said Galway City Council should follow the lead of Fingal County Council and other local authorities who hire park rangers to patrol parks.

Cllr Frank Fahy (FG) said that the Council needs a team of wardens, working out of office hours. Currently, he said, community wardens work 9am-5pm and there is no cover from 5pm to 9am.

He said it was his understanding that Gardaí were called to Merlin Woods last weekend, after a member of the public reported cars driving in the meadow, but they had not responded over an hour later.

Mayor Mike Cubbard (Ind) said more ‘boots on the ground’ were needed – when staff were appointed to Westside Sports Park, problems with anti-social behaviour disappeared.

Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) said he was fully supporting the motion, and asked that the new wardens would cover city playgrounds, also. He said that a fortnight ago, people were partying in Mervue playground until 8am one morning, and left drugs paraphernalia behind.

Cllrs Donal Lyons and Noel Larkin (both Ind) expressed support for the sentiment behind the motion but they said it could have financial implications and a knock-on impact on other recreational and amenity services provided by the Council. They wanted a detailed report on the impact of passing the motion.

The Director with responsibility for parks, Mr Mahon, said it was not just a cost implication and hiring new staff needed to be approved by Government. Additional staff costs were not one-off costs and were recurring.

He said wardens didn’t deal with anti-social behaviour and he asked whether the proponents of the proposal were looking for “security guards”. Park rangers in other parks around the country were supplied by the Office of Public Works, he said, not the local authority.

Mr Mahon said there would be a “health and safety implication” of having staff out 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He said that the cost would be “excessive”, and amount to €300,000-€400,000 annually.

He said it was not clear from the motion whether councillors expected wardens to be based at the three woods or at City Hall.

If it was the former, then they’d need to provide accommodation, including toilets for staff, at the woods; if it was the latter, then City Hall would have to be accessible to staff 24-hours.

In reply, Cllr Mike Crowe (FF) said, “you’d have to wonder why councillors would bother coming up with motions after listening to that response”.

He said that Mr Mahon had spoken for 15 minutes, and 14 and a half of those minutes was negative.

Cllr Crowe said his colleague had put “deep thought” into the proposal, which was “not about whether wardens can get a cup of coffee at midnight”.

Mr McGrath insisted there was no opposition to the motion from management but it couldn’t be implemented this year.

It will be debated again today at a meeting devoted to Notice of Motions.