After being closed for nearly six months because of the coronavirus, Reeves Community Center in Mount Airy has been reopened to the public along with the playgrounds at Riverside and Westwood parks.
That occurred on Thursday, with city Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis saying staff members are excited about this development while also being aware of the ongoing need for safe access of facilities in accordance with state guidelines.
One such measure includes Reeves Community Center opening at 30% capacity with occupancy limits set for various sections of the facility such as the gym and weight rooms.
RCC and the two playgrounds were closed in March as COVID-19 began making headway and state officials clamped down on social gatherings to slow its spread.
In June, the indoor and outdoor swimming pools at the community center were opened on a conditional basis, including occupancy limits and the requiring of reservations.
And Lewis said Wednesday the success achieved with that step makes city recreation personnel confident about the reopening of Reeves Community Center and the playgrounds
“Honestly, everything has gone extremely well,” Lewis said, praising the public’s adherence to safely guidelines while being able to enjoy the pools.
“We foresee the fitness areas’ opening doing the same,” he added. “People are just excited to get back to a little bit of normalcy.”
Also back on line after closures in March are the city skateboard park and other outside spaces, Lewis said.
“We are not opening the outdoor basketball courts at this time, as we feel social distancing will be more of a challenge.”
Lewis said that under the phased reopening of public facilities set forth by Gov. Roy Cooper, Reeves Community Center and the other local recreational sites affected could have resumed operations last Friday at 5 p.m.
But he explained that his department took a few extra days to “cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s” to ensure this was done properly, resulting in the reopening occurring on Thursday of this week instead.
“We are committed to offering our patrons a safe and enjoyable recreation experience.”
New hours of operation at RCC are 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, with Nautilus and free weight rooms to be closed from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. each day for disinfection/cleaning; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
No 21-hour passes will be activated at this time.
Guidelines in place
With the reopening, Mount Airy Parks and Recreation/Reeves Community Center will be operating under COVID-19 guidelines from local, state and federal authorities, according to information provided by Lewis.
This recognizes the possibility of the center having to be shut down again if sickness occurs.
To help prevent that and ensure the safety of the public and staff, these guidelines will be in place for facility users:
• All must sign a new waiver before participation will be allowed;
• Facial coverings are required to enter RCC and while in lobby halls and restrooms. It is mandatory for all patrons to wear face coverings at the center when not exercising. The coverings are not required while under “strenuous” activity,” with those who can talk normally while exercising required to wear face masks.
• Social distancing is mandated at all times to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread;
• The use of the recreation center is not recommended for high-risk persons in regard to the coronavirus;
• All patrons must enter and exit RCC through the front entrance or tunnel entrance. Accommodations will be made for anyone needing access to the building at the Cherry Street handicapped entrance;
• Hand sanitizer and disinfection wipes should be employed frequently and before using and after touching surfaces on all equipment.
• Room capacity guidelines will be enforced, including a limit of 22 people in the Nautilus room, 21 in the free weight room, 12 in the aerobics room, six in the spin room, 25 each in the gym and Kidz Club area under a maximum state-mandated indoor limit; three each in classroom and computer lab areas; and five people per court for racquetball.
• The basketball court will be open for shoot-around only, with a limit of four people per basket. Players are encouraged to bring their own basketballs, but balls may be checked out and returned to the front desk;
• Due to the reduced capacity limits, one-hour and 15-minute sessions are offered for participant package holders, who must call 336-786-8313 during regular business hours to reserve a session for any activity. Participant package holders can reserve a session up to three days in advance. Non-participant package holders also may make a reservation and buy an activity pass;
• Anyone who has a fever and is not feeling well is asked to avoid coming to the recreation center until the symptoms are gone.
The Mount Airy Parks and Recreation staff reserves the right to ask those who might be displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or are not abiding by any of the rules to leave.
The RCC water fountains, saunas, showers and Fit ’n’ Fun and nursery areas are not available at this time.
Those who were three-month or annual participant package holders before the community center’s shutdown will have their membership resume where it left off when the closure occurred on March 13. Those who were on a monthly bank draft system have experienced no drafts in the interim, which will resume on Sept. 18.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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