Friday’s Park City Business Roundtable focused on how the new county orders will impact recreation and trail use in Park City. Officials discussed the measures they’re taking to make things as safe and sanitary as possible while easing up on the COVID restrictions. Registration for kids camps through the city programs will open on Monday morning at 6 am on-line.
Park City Mayor Andy Beerman opened the session explaining that the business roundtable normally scheduled for Fridays would be delayed a week. With the soft re-opening of activities and businesses in Summit County, he hoped the zoom meeting would bring a little lightness to what has been a challenging couple of months.
Park City Recreation Manager Ken Fisher said the Municipal Athletic and Recreation Center facility, known as the MARC, would be opening in the coming days. He says they’ve taken advantage of the six-week closure to resurface several tennis courts, repaint the entire inside of the facility, polish up the lobby and re-finish the gym floor. He said there will be summer camps for kids in most programs, but they’ll incorporate all the social distancing and sanitation requirements.
Swim lessons are one that we are working with the Health Department to try to get going for July. Currently in the health order the leisure pool is closed and with the whole social distancing it’s a challenge. But our aquatic staff has been creative and has come up with some great ideas to get swim lessons operational where it may be a parent has to be in the water with their kid.”
Golf Manager Vaughn Robinson said the municipal course is now open and ready for play. He said things will run differently in the shop this year. He’s researched and visited other courses around the state to determine best practices in this time of COVID.
“We are back in action. The last month isn't too different than what we would normally do throughout the summer or the winter because we've been closed. So, it's you know, putting the shop back together that's been a little different. Just spreading out all of the merchandise trying to keep touch points down to a minimum. People aren't going to be able to shop when they normally come in here like they would in the past. They’re going to have to have the staff come out and show them the shirt or the golf bag or shoes.”
Robinson said they haven’t yet designed the kids golf camps for this summer. They’re working on it but he says it may not start until July or August. The Junior League will run every Monday afternoon. They have established ways to maintain proper COVID distancing guidelines.
Mountain Trails Executive Director Charlie Sturgis is famous for his 10- seconds of kindness mantra He encouraged trail users to add social distancing to their trail etiquette. He reminded people to pick up after their dogs and keep them away from those who are not in your own group.
Sturgis said the Young Riders Summer Camps start next month. All the camps are full, but he’s been impressed with how many families are using the trails together.
“Whole families riding, out hiking and uh you just see this entire family group, where typically this time of year you wouldn't see that at all. Kids would be in school. Moms are running around. Dad is trying to squeak a ride in.”
Library Director Adriene Herrick Juarez said kids are plowing through stacks of books and with the new curbside check-out service, patrons can access books six days a week from their vehicles.
01golf5:37“…sanitized.
“You’re going to be able to go online to look at our card catalog. You’ll be able to request all of your books online and then or staff will be in the building pulling those. And you could drive right up, just like you would get your groceries, that touchless system of picking up groceries. We're going to do this thing with books so your kids can get those stacks of books again which will be so helpful to have in the house when they're not out on the trails or doing other activities, you can sit in the evenings and read a nice stack of books. When they are returned, they’ll go into our book drop and they will be quarantined and sanitized.”
Links to the city’s recreation programs and Mountain Trails can be found on KPCW.org
https://www.parkcity.org/departments/park-city-golf-club
https://www.parkcity.org/departments/park-city-marc-recreation/tennis-pickleball