TOWN OF RICHMOND, Wis. (WFRV) – A popular swimming hole in Shawano County is closed for the time being.
“It’s a shame, it really is,” said Red River’s Chris Kroenke. “We have always been doing this, for years and years and years.”
This tradition has now been put on hold.
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“It will definitely be closed until after the 4th because July 4th is one of the worst weekends down here,” said Steve Gueths, city chairman for the City of Richmond.
City council voted Monday to close the park after finding the bottles and discarded rafts.
“Last weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Gueths. “My boys came by Monday morning, they had a whole load of pickup trucks.”
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There are trash cans near the swimming hole, but city officials say they haven’t been used.
“The garbage cans are up on the bank and the rocks are down,” said Gueths, “and people just don’t want to carry him up the hill and just leave him there.”
Broken bottles and emergency calls for stubborn visitors lead to the decision of the board.
“It’s getting out of hand,” said Gueths, “and people are abusing it.”
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On Wednesday, Chris and Tom Kroenke drove by to see if the online buzz was right.
“I can’t even believe this is closed, it’s so shocking. It’s just shocking, ”said Chris Local 5.
For decades they have been coming here to enjoy the river.
“I’m 59, my husband 65, we’ve been coming here since we were 14, 15,” said Chris, “for so long.”
Tom added, “It was fun for everyone, it’s free and now it’s being taken away because of the actions of a few, I imagine.”
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Gueths expects the city council to deal with the issue again in August.
“Hopefully they’ll start monitoring themselves once it’s open again,” he said.
If not, a more serious discussion may be appropriate.
“We could finally close it at the end if it goes on,” said Gueths. “I mean, people are getting hurt down there because of broken glass.”
At some point the blockades will fall and the city council hopes that visitors will respect the bathing hole.
“It’s a beautiful place,” said Gueths, “and it’s only when people abuse it like that that you kind of feel sick.”