Beating the heat by taking a dip in Fountain Park? You’re breaking the rules

Don’t go in the water at Fountain Park.

Parkgoers have been taking advantage of the easily accessible fountain pool in Rock Hill’s newest park to try to keep cool during this week’s heat wave as temperatures reach nearly 100 degrees. But city officials warn that getting in the fountain is against the park’s rules and potentially dangerous.

“We just want to remind people there is a lot of sensitive equipment in the fountain,” from the jets for the fountain plumes to the lighting and electrical components, said city spokeswoman Katie Quinn.

But as the temperatures have risen, that hasn’t stopped several people from taking a dip in the fountain and then posting photos of themselves on social media – despite a posted sign of regulations that decrees “No wading, swimming, playing, feet or hands in fountain.”

There are no set penalties for getting in the fountain, Quinn said, so for now, violators are less likely to be issued a ticket than they are to receive a warning, if not a towel.

But that could change if the fountain becomes more of a community pool than an attraction as the summer goes on.

“If it turns into a real issue, there might be ways to address that,” Quinn said, “but we don’t want to start handing out tickets to people left and right for enjoying the fountain.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Beating the heat by taking a dip in Fountain Park? You’re breaking the rules."