By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

The Jemison City Park is now open after being shut down by the Jemison Police Department at about 11 a.m. on May 25 due to multiple reports of poisonous snakes in the creek that runs through the park.

According to Chief Shane Fulmer, officials monitored the area for 24 hours before reopening the park on May 26. The department did not see any snakes during that time.

“People should be safe as long as they stay away from the creek. That is the area snakes have been reported,” Fulmer said.

The JPD made a Facebook post around noon on May 26 encouraging citizens to enjoy the park and warning those who would go near the creek to, “as in all areas of this nature, always be cautious.”

In the early afternoon of May 26, families were playing at the playground and a few citizens were walking on the track, seemingly undeterred by the fact that the park had recently been closed.