JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – There’s big news about a Jefferson County park known for drownings and river rescues.
Authorities had closed Rockford Beach Park on the Big River in House Springs for the past two weekends after a July 3 drowning. The park has remained open on weekdays.
After a man was rescued overnight, the beach will reopen this weekend. However, there will be a noticeable change.
The rescue happened around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Chief John Barton of the High Ridge Fire Protection District.
Barton said a man was curled up on a sort of rock shelf just above an area of rocky rapids.
“He called for help rather than trying to swim back across the river. In that event, there’s a very good chance it could have been our second drowning this month,” he said. “There’s a lot of hidden dangers with the river. When you add nighttime to it, and we’re operating under flashlights trying to cross the river and get to somebody, it certainly puts our lives in danger as rescuers even more.”
Without incident, the man was rescued. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, he was then arrested for trespassing and released pending formal charges.
The incident came within three weeks of a 41-year-old St. Louis man who drowned after jumping from the bluff into the river.
Since Memorial Day weekend, Jefferson County authorities have responded to calls for fights, underage drinking, and theft at the park. They closed the beach entirely for the past two weekends.
Barton said overcrowding is a common thread in all the issues.
“On the weekends, the park has been so congested that we wouldn’t even be able to get our equipment down here,” he said.
“Personally, I don’t think (the park) should get closed,” said Tony Stork.
Stork and his family don’t want to lose access to one of their favorite spots. Despite witnessing dangerous behavior such as “bluff jumping” regularly, they prefer increased law enforcement supervision over a complete closure.
“Most of the time, I’d say a good 80% of the time, you don’t really hear about anything unless somebody’s doing something irresponsible,” Stork said.
Law enforcement, fire and rescue, and county officials met to discuss the best course of action.
“I don’t think anybody is looking really to close the park permanently,” Barton said. “I think even if we tried to close the park, we’d still get people that would try to come down here, and they would get into trouble anyway. We definitely have to find a way to manage the crowds.”
The park will reopen this weekend but with a sheriff’s deputy on-site during peak hours. As usual, it will close at dusk.