Summer is here, which means the Guthrie County parks are being heavily used, but what happens if there is severe weather and you are using one of those areas?

Guthrie County Conservation Director Brad Halterman suggests that park-goers know what the weather is supposed to do before heading out. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that recently, the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors approved a method to help keep patrons safe in case of severe storms.

“The (Guthrie County Conservation) Board is very, very thankful and appreciative of Guthrie County Board of Supervisors getting us these two storm shelters. They are being constructed as we speak. The cement pad that they’re going to go on is in the works. The contractor has been hired and that is in the works also.”

Halterman mentions that currently, individuals at Nations Bridge Park can take shelter in the basement of the park ranger’s residence, but that there is not a shelter at Lenon Mill Park, which is why members of the Conservation Department keep up to date with weather forecasts to try and get that information to people in the park in the case of severe weather, allowing them time to find a safe place. He adds that even with the addition of the storm shelters, which are hoped to be placed by the end of the summer, staff with the Conservation Department will continue to be vigilant when it comes to the weather, just as they have been in the past.