‘Empty, dirty, uninviting’: Petition to tidy up Griffith's centre and entrances appears to spark council action

A businesswoman’s petition urging Griffith Council to address dirtiness and neglected greenery in the centre of town appears to have sparked action, with workers seen tidying up traffic islands on Wednesday (22 January).

Doreen Wood, who owns the main street clothing store Valentine Modes, began her quest for signatures earlier this week.

“I just got to the stage where I got sick of visitors telling me they won’t come to the town, because it’s so messy,” she said.

“If you go down Banna Avenue, and you take a good look at those plane trees, they’re all half dead. They’re just so sorry looking. Down Prod Straight, some of the bushes have been hard dead for ages; nothing has been done about them.

“We get visitors from Hay and Lake Cargelligo to our shop. They say to me, ‘I used to bring my friends to Griffith but I don’t now, because it’s a disgrace’. That’s not good for us, as business is struggling. Five shops are going to close in the middle block; that’s another eyesore. There are also spiderwebs everywhere.”

The 75-year-old had raised the untidiness of greenery on traffic islands on Yambil Street and Jondarayan Avenue near Griffith, but that was being addressed by council workers on-site on Wednesday.

“It’s a miracle; since I wrote about this yesterday, it’s all tidied up,” she said.

Furniture saleswoman Sandy Reginato says she supports the petition.

“Where my grandmother used to live near Kookora Park, there’s three little islands where the road is. They let the grass die off and it’s all dirt. The people who live there ought to complain,” she said.

Ms Wood said council used to do a great job of looking after the town centre and other common trees, plants and grass in town, but standards had slipped over the past three years.

“Our city, once a beacon of vibrancy and charm, is facing a decline that is both visible and troubling. The entrances of town, which should warmly welcome visitors, are instead marred by weeds and dead shrubs,” the petition reads.

“The middle block, once bustling with activity, now presents a series of empty, dirty and uninviting shopfronts.”

The businesswoman, who has run her store for 49 years, said council should be spending more on tidying up and maintaining the town, especially given the substantial rate increase it imposed on residents last year.

“As ratepayers, we deserve to see our money spent on these important issues and to invigorate our city and entice visitors and locals to enjoy what we once had,” the petition states.

Region asked Griffith Council what response it had to the petition.

“Council’s Code of Meeting Practice does provide for petitions to be tabled at a council meeting if requested by the author,” a spokeswoman said.

We also asked Griffith Council what action is will take to address the issues raised by the petition, but it did not respond to that question.

The petition is only available in hard copy form and can be picked up and signed at Valentine Modes, 226 Banna Avenue, and other shops on the main street.