By CASEY NEILL
DANDENONG Civic Centre’s trouble-plagued basement car park could still be almost a year from re-opening.
Engineering services director Julie Reid at last week’s City of Greater Dandenong council meeting said six to eight months of safety improvement works couldn’t start until the 2015-’16 budget process was complete.
She said that would push the reopening out until the first quarter of 2016, “sooner if we can”.
Councillor Maria Sampey questioned the timeframe.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said.
“I just find it really amazing. When plans drawn, that’s when all of this should have been done.”
In April the Journal reported that the car park would reopen to the public despite concerns it could be a terror target.
Councillors over-ruled a council report that recommended continuing a public ban from the 39-space car park put in place since a security review started late last year.
The confidential security-risk assessment rated the car park a “high risk” to the building and precinct’s security though a “very low” terrorist-target risk.
Security risks identified included “many instances” of unauthorised public access to the building via the car park and potentially sexual assaults, thefts from cars and assaults in the car park.
There was also potential access to the council’s essential services generator with a “large capacity fuel supply”, major services such as power, communications and water, and underground storage and sensitive facilities and services, the report stated.
Security boosts are to include a digital visitor-access system, restriction on library lift access, improved CCTV coverage, firm sanctions against disorderly behaviour and an in-house security service.
