WAITE PARK — In the next couple of weeks, Quarry Park and Nature Preserve officials will be putting up new safety signage in Somali and Spanish around the swimming quarries following the drowning of an 18-year-old in the park last month.

Signs will be placed near current placards that inform swimmers of water hazards and reminder swimmers there is no lifeguard on duty.

At the Wednesday Stearns County Parks Commission meeting, park officials also discussed increasing Quarry Park’s admission price next year to fund additional staffing.

The discussion comes a couple weeks after the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office announced they would be sending more officers to patrol county parks after seeing an uptick in crime. Quarry Park has seen more thefts, fights, alcohol and drug violations, the Sheriff’s office said.

Currently parking permits cost $5 daily and seasonal passes are $20. At the meeting officials discussed raising the daily price to $10 from June through August, and $5 for the remainder of the year. They also discussed increasing the seasonal pass price to $25 but did not make a decision.

July is typically the park’s busiest month of the year, said Ben Anderson, the Stearns County Parks director.

Source: SC Times