By Kath Gannaway
A new gate at Margaret Lewis Reserve in Coldstream has been welcomed by Victoria Police and Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve who say it will improve access for emergency vehicles.
The gate next to the Coldstream reserve carpark has been damaged by hoons on a number of occasions, causing it to bend.
Council received $8800 from the State Government’s Department of Justice and Regulation Community Safety Fund in October for the new gate and landscaping.
The application was supported by a letter from Leading Senior Constable Linda Hancock, Yarra Ranges Crime Prevention Officer, which focused on crime prevention through environmental design as a method of reducing criminal activity.
Cr Fiona McAllister inspected the gate last week along with Maurice Maxwell from Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve, and Matt McCabe, the council’s acting bushland management officer.
She said people had been driving through the reserve at a high speed, damaging the grounds, bending the fence and affecting the grass and property at the nearby Coldstream Primary School and Coldstream Preschool, and she welcomed the additional security measure.
“This is an important improvement to our much-loved Margaret Lewis Reserve,” she said.
Mr McCabe said the gate was the type used in a number of the shire’s reserves and would improve both access for emergency vehicles and security for the reserves.
