Two adults and small children stand on the diving dock at Blue Springs Park taking in the beautiful scene below and around them. Some of their children were more adventurous than others and jumped in the water feet first with no hesitation. Others had to study the situation first. Visitors can be seen playing water ball in the distance.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                County officials say an employee who wrapped both ladders on the diving dock at Blue Springs Park with crime scene tape to enforce social distancing on Father’s Day wasn’t authorized to do so.

            One witness used his phone to video the dock ladders wrapped in the yellow tape as the employee leaned over and told small children they couldn’t climb back on the dock using the ladders.

            The witness showed Spotlight the video.

            The incident didn’t last long and the employee was ordered to remove the crime scene tape when Parks and Recreation Director Matt Weldon found out what was happening.

            Weldon said social distancing is important in a public setting but he said the employee went too far. When the tape was removed, park employees announced over the loudspeaker that swimmers should avoid standing around on the dock in groups. He said swimmers in the park complied with the order.

            “I told him you can’t rope off the ladders. You need to leave at least one ladder open in case someone jumps off there and they need to get out and can’t swim to the side,” Weldon said. “I told him to announce over the loudspeaker if we can’t social distance we’re going to have to close the dock down, like we got the volleyball closed down.”

            Weldon said the only complaint he received about the incident was from a man who called primarily to complain about the volleyball net being down. He mentioned the dock problem as a side issue. The county commission decided before Blue Springs Park was opened that the volleyball net wouldn’t be raised. Weldon said there’s no way to social distance with two volleyball teams competing hard.

            Spotlight told Weldon the video showed the ladders taped at the top and the employee not allowing swimmers to climb back on the dock.

            “That’s when I made them take it all down. You can’t just say close the ladders. I never told them to close the ladders. When I found out they had, I called and said at least have one ladder open,” Weldon said. “I’d rather close the entire compound than close the ladders and that’s pretty much what I told them.”

            County Coordinator Wilbur Dean was asked if the county was legally obligated to enforce social distancing at county parks like Blue Springs, a popular swimming spot.

            “I don’t know what our obligations are, legal or anything like that, but one of the things that board is charged with is the welfare of the people in the county and just trying to maintain it out there,” Dean said. “We had already discussed with the board the volleyball. We’re not having that.”

            “If you get two or three hot sweaty people, it’s nothing to see them dive for the ball and roll over,” Weldon said of volleyball.

            Regarding the dock, Dean added: “it’s one thing when you have a number of them on the dock and they’re diving, diving, but when you’re there and they are all just standing there around in a crowd – the dock is only 16 by 16 something like that – and you look up and there’s 15 to 20 standing there.”

            “We’re trying to prevent them from sweating from each other. That’s the whole point,” Weldon added.

            Dean said the county didn’t want someone coming back and claiming they contracted COVID-19 at one of its facilities, but at the same time he said the county is trying hard to keep the county parks open in a normal way.

            “You would hate to have something come back and the board be put in a position, and you know, hey guys, we just can’t do this anymore,” Dean said.

            He said on Father’s Day, the springs on the Suwannee River had turned dark from rain north of Levy County and the springs were closed to the public. He said many people came to Blue Springs Park from out of the area and as well as in the county.

            Weldon said the park was packed with visitors. Generally park attendants allow about 200 visitors at a time at Blue Springs Park before posting a sign that says the park has reached capacity.

            Dean said people conduct themselves well at Blue Springs Park the bulk of the time.

            “For the main part, I’ve rode out there four times. Most of them are doing a good job. On average I would say they’re conducting themselves well, and the kids and adults,” Dean said.

            Dean said the county commission opened all of its parks to give people a place to relax and enjoy themselves like they always did in the past.

            “One of the reason our board has all the county parks open and the swimming parks is we want people to have a release just to have some normalcy,” Dean said.

            Florida parks are in a phased re-opening.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt July 16, 2020; Posted July 16, 2020