Maybe I'm being naive, but it reads to me like a complaint from a disgruntled neighbour to the ground.
Sometimes people want to ignore the most obvious answer. And let's face it, the work needs doing.
I think you are being extremely naive, which is ironic given how quick you are to pick up on what you perceive as naivety in others.
Why on earth would a disgruntled neighbour complain about the state of the terracing on the Golf Rd? How would they even know about it? The statement from the board makes it perfectly clear that the complaint came from someone they hoped would have come to them first. That would hardly apply to a disgruntled neighbour.