City of Greater Geraldton comes to the table as GSLSC calls for solution to Back Beach emergency access

The City of Greater Geraldton council is working on a solution with the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club to keep the emergency access clear at Back Beach.

Club president George Guidice has called for an ongoing commitment from the council to clear sand for the emergency entrance, which he said was essential for lifeguards and emergency services to access the beach.

“For years, after they put in that emergency access, they would clear it, but it was intermittent and irregular and unreliable. So what would happen is you get a big sand build up on the emergency access, and we couldn’t get emergency equipment down there,” he said.

Council CEO Ross McKim said the city was in discussions with the club to find a mutually beneficial solution.

“Through informal arrangements discussed with the Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club over the years, the city has undertaken maintenance of the dedicated access track as and when requested,” he said.

Mr Guidice said during windier months, he estimated the path would need to be cleared weekly to remain safe.

Ongoing maintenance costs is one barrier preventing regular cleaning.

“Cost estimates provided by the city identified that works could take up to a full day, depending on the amount of work required in this dynamic environment, at a cost in the order of $3000. This includes plant, equipment, staff, and any traffic/safety management measures required,” Mr McKim said.

Mr Guidice said the matter should be about public safety, not budget.

“How expensive is the safety of the public?” he said.

Mr Giudice said lifeguards had previously cleared the sand on a 46C day in order to prevent vehicles from becoming bogged.

“It’s not much effort just to clear it each week, and then it’s all safe. You know, somebody suffers an injury, or there’s a spinal injury, we can put them in the back of the vehicle, drive them up there, very calmly to a waiting ambulance, for example,” he said.

Although council staff cleared the access point recently amid lobbying from the club, there remains a question mark around the ongoing maintenance of the track, with both parties coming to the table to work on a solution.

“The city recently met with the club and commenced discussions regarding incorporating maintenance roles and activities into the annual lifesaving agreement. It was identified that the track is a dedicated access track for use by the Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club, and a number of potential maintenance scenarios and options were discussed that could help with club access,” Mr McKim said.