Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Given the continuing problems at the county’s recreational facilities, especially the Wacissa River Park, officials are continuing their effort to bring the situation under control by putting teeth into enforcement of the rules.
The problem appears to be especially acute at the Wacissa River Park, where rowdy weekend crowds often overfill the riverhead; dogs are allowed to run loose on the beach; vehicles park every which way on the lot; alcohol consumption is often more the rule than the exception; and beer cans and other trash increasingly litters the river and grounds.
At the urging of Commissioner Stephen Walker, whose district encompasses what is generally considered a county jewel, the board, in conjunction with its attorney and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), has been trying to come up with enforceable regulations that will bring the situation under control.
At the Jefferson County Commission meeting on Thursday evening, Jan. 20, the JCSO proposed, and the board approved, a fee schedule of citations that will apply in all county parks going forth, with the goal to implement the new rules by March 1.
As approved by the board, illegal or improper parking at county parks will result fines of $50 for a first violation, $75 for a second violation, and $100 for a third and subsequent violations.
Possession and/or use of alcohol and allowing dogs to run free in the beach area of the Wacissa River Park will also be penalized. The fines are $50 for a first violation, a year suspension from the park property and issuance of a no-trespassing warning on a second violation, and permanent suspension and barring from the park on a third violation.
Walker also sought to have vendors barred from being able to set up shop at the head of the river, meaning canoe rental operations that park their vehicles and trailers on the premises.
A related problem, Walker said, entailed the pileup of canoes near the launch site, thus obstructing the way for other boaters.
“We need to be consistent with whatever rules we come up,” Walker said.
Two local individuals who run canoe rental operations on the river addressed the board on the issue. The two, however, appeared to have a disagreement that is adding to the situation at the popular recreational spot.
Jesse’s Canoe and Kayak Rental and the Wacissa River Canoe and Kayak Rental (WRCKR) are both located just outside the park. The disagreement between the two appeared to stem from alleged inequity, as Jesse’s, the smaller operation, lacks space for parking, trash cans etc., and so utilizes the park’s amenities, while the larger Wacissa Rental provides these amenities at a cost. It didn’t seem right or fair, the latter operator said, that he should have to pay to provide the amenities for his customers when his competitor didn’t.
Sheriff Mac McNeill explained that part of the problem was that Jesse’s didn’t know when customers would return the canoes and his customers sometimes abandoned the vessels near the launch site. Narrow as the outlet was, it didn’t take much to clutter it up if several vessels were abandoned there, he said.
The commission never came up with a solution to the issue of the canoes, although several ideas were floated, ranging from outright banning vendors on the river to charging an annual fee to a select few to expanding the parking lot.
Walker, however, quickly shot down the latter suggestion.
“The problem is that the river already can’t handle the number of people that it’s getting now,” he said.
Adding more parking spaces, he said, would only aggravate the existing problems.
Commissioner Betsy Barfield agreed. It was near impossible to go to the river anymore because of the crowds, most of which came from outside the county. Litter and off-road parking on SR-59 were also a problem, she said.
McNeill surmised that the overwhelming percentage of people who visited the park on any given weekend were from Leon County and Georgia.
“Ninety percent of the people on the river are not Jefferson County residents,” he said.
In the end, the board referred the canoe and other issues to the Wacissa River Advisory Committee to review and come up with a recommendation. County Attorney Scott Shirley, meanwhile, continues working on toughening the language to make the regulations more legally enforceable.
The problems at the Wacissa River Park have been ongoing for a while and seem only to grow with the spot’s popularity, in terms both of the number of people accessing the river and the unruly behavior.
The common complaints, Walker says, include loud music, alcohol use, obscene language, inappropriate parking, loose dogs and vandalism.
“The complaints at the head of the river are really the same as they have been for years,” Walker said not long ago. “One issue with enforcement is that there seems to be no penalties established to match the county ordinances that are in place. It seems that every week or so we get calls for more signage. The problem is that users pay no attention to the signs. Some have also mentioned a lack of parking, but additional parking may not be a good idea, based upon the amount of trash that we see being dumped into the river.”