In an apparent attempt to prevent littering at Wadsworth Falls, state officials have installed a sign that reads "Parents Remind Your Children Not To Litter."
Call it a band aid on an open wound.
On Saturday, trash and litter was left behind at the popular waterfall in Middlefield as the sun set on yet another warm July day.
Check out the photos taken by State Rep. Buddy Altobello during a recent visit to the park
On Friday, state and town officials met to discuss the appropriate action following recent complaints by neighbors that visitors have been leaving the park a mess, parking illegally and disturbing neighbors.
One option to address the situation, according to a report in the Middletown Press, would be to expand the parking area.
“That would depend based on assessing the area and determining what size crowd it would be suited for,” Dennis Schain, communications director for the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said at the meeting, according to the newspaper.
Despite the meeting, bags of garbage were left behind, along with diapers, empty beer bottles and piles of charcoal, on Saturday.
Although the park closes at sunset — officially 8:16 p.m. on July 27 — about half a dozen cars remained in the parking lot area as of 9 p.m.
One visitor, a driver, could be seen revving his engine before pulling away with an open container of alcohol in his center console.
Down the street, close to an area where the town recently installed no parking signs, a sign reading "Park for Fall" lay under a line of mailboxes, although no vehicles were spotted parked in the yard.
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