Theresa sent this out this afternoon to the mayor and media after the tragic incident at Falls Park;
Dear Mayor Huether and Director Kearney,
I am writing to voice my concerns about the tragedy at the Falls. Â Citizens have also been expressing their concerns with adequate safety while preserving the beauty and access to the falls.
I am urging your support  of increased signage and a temporary barrier  during the spring season due to the  dangerous foam and slippery terrain at the site of the three tragic deaths. I will support appropriating funds to make these safeguards a reality, along with any effort to clean out the foam in the area.
A temporary Spring fence could be done in a way to enhance the beauty, while adding extra protection to visitors.
Our prayers go out to the family of visitors who lost their beloved daughter. Let us work as a community to ensure that this does not happen again.
Thank you for your consideration,
Theresa Stehly
I’m against permanent fencing, I think when they put up the chainlink fence around the Japanese Gardens at Covell Lake it ruined it.
I do agree though there should be a much bigger and prominent signage that is permanent, and maybe temporary fencing in the Spring when water levels are high around the dangerous areas. They have put in temporary fencing in the past after heavy rains. It’s not a matter of funding, the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars decorating Falls Park during the holiday season, we have the resources to put up temporary fencing. Another thing that could also be added to the larger warning signs is the potential hazards with just touching the water which has high levels of chemicals and E-Coli in it (the mayor has refused to put up the recommended signage in the past). If the rushing water doesn’t scare you, the possible health affects should.
It would be hard to clean up the naturally occurring foam.
But I also believe people must take some personal responsibility, and no amount of signage or fences can fix ignorance. If something looks dangerous, it probably is.
I don’t support a fence. I would support prohibiting being on the rocks and fines for those who are on them during high flows. Use the large electric trailer signs at entrances to let visitors know about the prohibit.
More prevalent signage and more visible presence from the Park Police is needed there this time of year. Both were promised in response to the previous Falls fatalities three years ago. Whenever I visit the Falls, there is always at least one family out on the edge of the rocks posing for selfies. It’s a dangerous out there.
I don’t have any suggestions other than signage and sawhorse blockades when there’s foam or rushing water. I appreciate the attention this is getting and feel there wil be decisive action.
The best suggestion I have heard so far is to have easily available life rings or other water rescue equipment near the falls. The bad thing about equipment such as these is they will be damaged and stolen over time. However, if 1 life rings save alive, the added expense is well worth it!
That’s a great idea! I think there are many things we can do besides permanent fencing that can make it safer. I have actually thought for a long time that if we tell people about the toxicity of the water, that will have more impact keeping people away.
Victims don’t resurface as the rapids hold you under. Life rings are false hope and will most likely make more fatalities.
The water isn’t toxic. Polluted but not toxic. If we advertise it’s toxic, you may as well bulldoze it.
Typical Stehly, knee jerk reaction with little research or thought. Send a letter to two people but include the Public so she can bask in the attention she has to have. Is it about serving the public or serving her ego?? The longer she is in office the more I think her ego is bigger than MMM.
FYI. A spring fence would go in today. A few days too late.
A child dies and half the letter is me, me, me, blame the Mayor, and look what I will do. So sad that you couldn’t wait at least a week so they could put their child to rest.
The child’s mother is actually the one advocating for the temp fencing.
I cannot believe that anyone should or would think that Theresa Stehly would use this in anyway to project popularity. Her concern and expression of this incident was posted public to allow the public to weigh in on it. Why is it some ridicule those that at heart want to do the right thing? If you want transparency she is at the Center of it right now. She made no suggestions and only read the thread during the post. Not any different than some that say Stehly waste the taxpayers money and time to suggest bringing up the Unwaranted decision by council against Citizen approval! I would have to ask a simple question. When and Who decided when anyone that serves the People of this City first and demands they be heard; pin their actions to a waste? Citizens are fed up and they will prevail in this next election no matter who sit’s in those positions. They will no longer allow the rouge elected to rule!
The letter brought three of my colleagues on the Council to the table: Nietzert,Starr and Selberg..that’s a great thing for the community. And they all agreed that it needs to be addressed on the KELO story aired on Monday March 19th at 10:00.
Why can’t we have a police officer walk up and down the dangerous areas informing tourists of the dangers, when they get too close? Officers could be on duty from 8am to 10pm, weather permitting, with two hour shifts for the officers….
“Officers could be on duty from 8am to 10pm, weather permitting, with two hour shifts for the officers….”
For those doing the math at home, that’s the equivalent of eliminating 2.45 FTE positions in the police department because people can’t read the signs.
Should cops also be assigned to the fast food restaurants and gas stations to warn people that the coffee is hot? Or outside in winter to caution about slippery sidewalks?
Read the signs. Wear grippy shoes. Keep your kids away from the water.
The facts are, Facebook was being “polled†and a letter went out in about 24 hours. All about her and making a scene to get attention. Look at me, look what I can do, me, me, me. Like always, it screams I want attention! Put me in the paper! Funny I don’t see any other councilors names on the letter. I guess they decided to be professional about it.
Yeah…we should probably let the cops keep chasing criminals and fighting crime, not playing park monitor. The Parks Department can hire lifeguards a lot cheaper and besides, without any ordinance on this to actually enforce the lifeguards would have same authority to shoo people away from the edge of the scary water. So can we all just take a deep breath and use our heads instead of our emotion?
IknowIt, you must have some residual concerns about my effort to put the brakes on the parking ramp project. If you call posting a media story on my facebook page getting attention,then so be it. I have had many appreciative comments from citizens about the helpful community information I post…by the way, I invite you all to come over and see for yourselves. Blessings to you IKnowIt, whoever you are.
Hornguy – I didn’t know people were dying in town from “hot coffee.”
Canadian – With or without my idea, we need more cops in town and we need to go to a precinct system to fight crime.
The bottom line is this, the Falls has been developed into a credible and inviting tourism spot. That said, it is also potentially a dangerous spot too, as obvious, and warning signs or opining about parenting is obviously not enough. The park needs a park ranger or a cop to monitor the dangerous areas…..
“The park needs a park ranger or a cop to monitor the dangerous areas…..”
And as I pointed out above, the price tag for that, during only the hours you’ve listed, is going to end up in the neighborhood of $175,000 a year. Where’s that coming from? The mythical “waste, fraud, and abuse” that good government types believe in the same way that others believe in the Yeti?