PALATKA, Fla. — A community of ATV riders is remembering their friend killed on Saturday.
William Lemire of Starke died after his ATV overturned at Hog Waller Mud Bog in Putnam County. A cross was placed near the site by fellow riders.
The wreck has been a fear for neighbors to that venue -- some who have been asking the county to look into safety measures for years.
“I’m very sad," Cindy Locke said. "I thought this was something that if the County, in the beginning, had just listened.”
She first voiced her concerns to Putnam County about the mud bog grounds in 2015.
Locke, who lives near Hog Waller Mud Bog, said, over the years, she has documented issues against the venue, including overflow parking off-site, which is not allowed according to a permitted use development (PUD) agreement. She said bringing more people out into an already crowded area can be dangerous.
“My concern is that there are minor children in there," Locke said. "There are parents who sign those waivers to let their children go in there and camp and ride."
Hog Waller Mud Bog posted in response to the incident, “We are committed to operating a safe environment and are working with those involved.” Adding Saturday’s wreck happened on the trail area and not designated mud bog, which according to county documents must be fenced.
“The site has outgrown its venue, let’s put it at that way," Locke said. "It’s not big enough, it’s not dry enough."
She added it is her belief the wetlands can’t keep up with the activity and is concerned for those going into the area.
A letter from the St. Johns River Water Management District dated January 2019 assessed the Hog Waller property in which the scientist writing said, “Based on site conditions, the current use extends beyond the original intent.”
First Coast News reached out to Putnam County Commissioners, receiving responses via email from Larry Harvey and Terry Turner.
Both explained the property was examined by the commission previously.If code enforcement found a complaint to be valid would be the only time it would come back in front of the County Commissioners.
Our calls to code enforcement were not immediately returned.
Locke added after the tragic incident Saturday, she hopes officials will look into the development again.
“We’re talking about safety here,” Locke said, “Does that not matter to anyone? It should!”