Hoons tracked

By EMMA SUN
HOONS are letting loose on Mount Evelyn’s multi-million dollar athletics track at Morrisons Reserve while improvement works are still being completed.
But the police and council have said they will keep a vigil on the reserve and throw the book at any hoons caught on the track.
Chris, who lives near the reserve and didn’t want his surname published, said for the past month, hoons had made it their ritual to speed around the car park and the athletics track after midnight.
The most recent incident occurred as recently as last Friday morning.
Chris said it was a huge disturbance to the neighbours, who want them gone and said it was concerning the hoons had access to the track.
“It’s just annoying from the point of view of the noise of the bikes and going round and around, it wakes you up and the more you lie awake, the more you get annoyed,” he said.
“They’re just being morons because the council is spending a fortune on this brand new athletics track that is almost Olympic standard and the last thing people want is to see it damaged.”
While no damage has been done to the track, tire marks belonging to a quad bike and trail bike have been spotted in long jump and triple jump sandpit, prompting fears that it will only be some time before something more serious happens.
Mount Evelyn police Sergeant Craig Keithley confirmed the story after speaking to contractors at the reserve and said they would increase police presence to catch the hoons.
“They confirmed there were motor bike tracks through mud at one end of the field and that a quad bike had been ridden through three sand pits,” he said.
“Fortunately, none of this caused any damage to the facility but I’ve asked Lilydale and Mooroolbark police to patrol the area when they can around midnight.”
Yarra Ranges Council Billanook Ward councillor Tim Heenan said he was furious that the hoons had broken through the temporary fence to mess around on the track, which he said would’ve required a spanner to undo the bolts.
He said the effects of the track being damaged were serious because it would be expensive to repair the surface.
He said he hoped the police would catch the hoons so the track would be protected.
“I think that the people who are doing this need to understand there will be zero tolerance with the police and I’ll make sure our officers take them straight to court if they can because they won’t be getting off lightly,” he said.
“The athletics track is going to have very positive far reaching consequences and cannot be marred by what’s happening now.
“I only congratulate local residents and police for their vigilance – I know they’ll keep their eyes open and we’ll have to have another talk about upping the ante in security in there.”
He said the council would set up a two metre fence to prevent hoons from gaining access and potentially destroying the facility after the works are complete.
He said access will be via turnstiles.