VILLAGE OF REDGRANITE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A popular Waushara County swimming hole is closed, until further notice.
Redgranite Village leaders say more people than ever are coming to the Redgranite Quarry, bringing problems that shutdown the quarry.
Bodhi Albrent and Tanner Sarauer tell FOX 11 they drove over an hour and a half from Slinger to enjoy the Redgranite Quarry.
“It’s something we didn’t do, it’s something that other people had to ruin that then ruins it for the rest of us,” Albrent said.
Sarauer says, he even planned ahead to spend the day there.
“I took off work for this today just to be able to come here with my friend and just have fun and swim. It just kinda gets ruined, because we gotta get kicked-out 10 minutes after we get here.”
Like many, they’d arrive to find it suddenly closed.
“In opening it, we experienced an unprecedented amount of people, coming to the quarry, which is a great opportunity but, with that, it showed some challenges, as well,” Village of Redgranite president Belinda Passarelli said.
Passarelli tells FOX 11 in the 20 years she’s lived there, this hasn’t happened.
“Never, never! We’ve never experienced anything like this.”
In this case, more people meant more trash.
Locals FOX 11 spoke to say they’ve been helping with the cleanup process and, in just one day, they filled more than 15 garbage bags with trash left behind by visitors.
Albrent says he understands why many living in the area are fed-up.
“It’s kind of like inviting someone into your home, and then them just leaving trash all over the place.”
Another problem big crowds bring to the quarry? Parking.
With hundreds filling the parking lot, the Village of Redgranite says people spilled onto nearby lawns, and anywhere else they could find.
And Four Seasons Restaurant and Bakery owner Shari Sirvio says, that’s not all. She says she’s also heard of people beginning to threaten the safety of local law enforcement officers.
“Surrounding of the vehicles, trying to start windshield wipers on fire,” Sirvio explained.
Sirvio says even with those issues, she doesn’t think the quarry had to close.
“I don’t think it’s a good solution to the problem. Hopefully, it’s just temporary and they can come up with some better options.”
Some Redgranite residents are angry, because they say the village board closed the quarry during an emergency meeting Monday night.
Nearly 200 people have signed a petition, asking the village to reconsider.
