Turf club drainage woes unanswered | Warwick News | Local News in Warwick

FRUSTRATED: Warwick Turf Club committee member Michael Banks (kneeling) with president Garry Adcock near a large puddle of water at the Victoria Street entrance of the racecourse.

Warwick Daily News

FOR the past 12 months, Garry Adcock has pleaded with councillors to install kerbing and channelling at the front of the racecourse.

This is because each time there is a significant rain event, water gushes straight over an embankment and onto the race track, and sits in puddles on the driveway from Victoria Street for sometimes weeks, the Warwick Turf Club president yesterday told the Daily News.

“For a long time now I've been approaching various members of the council ... they all agree there is a major problem but nothing ever happens,” a frustrated Mr Adcock said.

“We've got 30 or 40 horses which work there every morning and of course with all the water, as the trucks go in and out, they gouge out the dirt road and one fellow actually broke the axle on his truck recently.

“If you go over there right now you would see puddles of water all along the streets from Friday night or Saturday morning.”

He strongly believes it is council's responsibility to install the infrastructure. If the water sits on the track, race meets need to be called off.

Mayor Ron Bellingham said he was aware the lack of infrastructure at the front of the racecourse was an issue.

“I've certainly inspected it with the council engineers and it is a very difficult and expensive problem to fix,” he said.

“The driveways are certainly the responsibility (of the turf club). There's nothing immediate planned certainly in the budget or within the forecast but the engineers certainly know about it and, as soon as the money comes available, it will certainly be considered.

“Nothing has changed there in the last 50 years, but I do know and understand their problem ... there are many drainage issues that have very high priority.”