Yahoo Finance B.C. municipalities look for safe ways to reopen public recreational facilities
Municipalities across the province are looking for the safest way to reopen public recreational facilities like playgrounds, pools and tennis courts, after closing them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her daily COVID-19 briefings, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has told both businesses and individuals to take the reopening process at their own pace. Municipalities are heeding that advice and reopening public recreational spaces on a case by case basis.
In Kelowna, outdoor spaces like tennis and pickleball courts, skateparks, disc golf courses and basketball courts reopened in May, but others — and indoor spaces — remain closed.
Jim Gabriel, divisional director of active living and culture for the City of Kelowna, was tasked with coming up with a framework for the gradual reopening of civic recreational facilities.
"You look at outdoor facilities before indoor facilities, unstructured use before program-based, low-risk individual type activities before group activities, skill development before competition, and then the local community before the broader community," Gabriel told Daybreak South host Chris Walker.
The process, Gabriel said, begins with facility audits for areas that could be easier to open up. The audits include a walk-through of the venue to determine how people enter the building, what surfaces they may touch and how reopening can be phased in to limit the number of people using each facility.
Then, he said, he has to assess whether the people who would use those facilities are actually prepared to return to their activities.
The Village of Ashcroft is focusing on how to open its outdoor pool, which Mayor Barbara Roden said would typically have opened Victoria Day weekend.
Staff are looking at lowering capacity, sanitizing guidelines, and measures to ensure physical distancing is observed.
Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian said another concern is how to keep lifeguards safe if they have to do a rescue — maintaining physical distance wouldn't be an option in that situation.
Christian said one of the city's main focuses is trying to prepare fields and facilities for the return of organized sports. But first, they have to find out what the regulations will be for the varying leagues in the city, and how local organizations plan to proceed.
Financial concerns
The Central Kootenay region — which includes Castlegar, Nelson, Creston and Salmo — won't be reopening indoor recreational facilities until August 18, at the earliest. According to a statement on the regional district's website, this is largely due to the need to maintain a balanced budget.
"The 2020 recreation service levels have changed and will continue to change as COVID-19 restrictions change," community services manager Joe Chirico said.
"The present financial plans will not support the same operating hours, program availability and other services. This is disappointing for the community who rely on our services for their health and well-being, and to our staff for their employment."
The district does hope to move some programming that would typically be held inside, outside. Staff are working on ways to deliver those recreation and fitness opportunities.
