The city of Arnold has announced plans to fully reopen its facilities.
City officials will resume normal operations at the outdoor pool at the Arnold Recreation Center, 1695 Missouri State Road, on Saturday (June 20).
The pool reopened on June 8, but the number of people who could be admitted at one time was limited, and several other restrictions were in place to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The rest of the rec center has been closed since March 18, but the city plans to reopen it on Monday (July 6).
In addition, the Arnold Farmers Market, which is held from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the entrance to Arnold City Park, will resume normal operations on Saturday, the city announced.
The market had opened on May 9, but with several changes in place.
Arnold already has reopened playgrounds and restrooms at its parks, and has begun renting park pavilions again.
Arnold’s decision to reopen facilities and lift rules put in place in March to limit the spread of the coronavirus comes on the heels of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s announcement that the state could fully reopen on Monday (June 15). On June 12, Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon announced that Jefferson County was following the state’s lead and lifting its restrictions, too.
“We will see how it goes,” Arnold City Administrator Bryan Richison said. “I think we have the same concerns as everybody. Are we going to see a second wave? If we do, what will that mean? We are monitoring that, just like everybody else. At this point we are following the lead of the state and county. They have basically removed all restrictions, so we are moving forward in that direction, too.”
Even though Arnold is reopening its facilities and lifting restrictions, city officials still encourage people to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to practice social distancing, wear masks in public and frequently wash their hands.
“We will leave it up to the people to use their best judgment,” Richison said.
Outdoor pool, Farmers Market
When the outdoor pool at the rec center reopened earlier this month, people who wanted to use it had to make reservations and pay in advance. Reservations no longer will be required. Also, the city will honor all reservations that already had been paid for.
While the Farmers Market opened last month, the city limited the number of vendors who could sell their products and how many customers could enter the market at any one time. It also required vendors and customers to wear facemasks. Those restrictions are now lifted, Richison said.
“Each person will have to make a personal decision about their comfort level of attending,” he said.
Rec center
Even though the rec center, which houses an indoor pool, track, exercise equipment and other amenities, is set to reopen in early July, Parks and Recreation Director Dickie Brown said some details remain up in the air until a staff schedule can be determined.
He said the city is reaching out to the rec center’s part-time employees to see if they are still available.
Until the parks department nails down a staff schedule, the city can not announce what the rec center operating hours will be and when classes will resume, Brown said
“It is unclear right now if we will open up with standard hours of 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. We may have to do some abbreviated hours for a while. I am hoping that doesn’t happen. We should know that in the next few days,” he said Wednesday (June 17).
One thing that will not restart right away when the rec center reopens is the Kids Club program – a child care program that typically is available for those who use the facility.
“We understand the value of Kids Club, but our first priority is protecting the children and parents,” Brown said. “It is not possible to disinfect everything after each child touches it. It is not being eliminated, but we have to rethink what it will look like as far as operating.”
Brown said the city plans to charge monthly rec center membership fees again beginning in August. The city stopped collecting monthly fees in April, after the rec center had to be closed in March because of the pandemic.
Brown said those with annual memberships will receive a credit for the three and a half months the facility was closed.
Brown said while the rec center was closed, it was regularly disinfected. In addition, maintenance work, like resurfacing all the floors, was completed.
While there will be no requirements for customers or staff members to wear face masks or follow other CDC recommendations inside the rec center, Brown said those measures will be encouraged.
Brown also said staff members will clean items in the rec center throughout the day.
“Staff has to be diligent and mindful of wiping down surfaces as much as possible,” Brown said. “We will enhance our efforts to disinfect the building.”
Playgrounds, restrooms, pavilions
The city’s parks have remained open throughout the COVID-19 shutdown, but playgrounds and restrooms in the parks were closed in mid-March. While the playgrounds and restrooms recently were reopened, the city has not disinfected the playground equipment and there are no plans to sanitize it, Brown said.
“We have warned people we have not maintained them,” he said.
The Parks Department started taking reservations for park pavilions on June 16. Those interested in renting a pavilion may call 636-282-2380.
Staff to resume normal schedule; court to reopen
Richison said full-time employees will begin working regular schedules again on Monday (June 29), and Arnold Municipal Court is scheduled to start operating again on July 13.
Richison said the city work force had been divided with about half of the staff members working one week and staying home the next week, rotating weeks with the other half of the staff.
Typically, the Municipal Court holds court dates on specific Mondays each month, but the city canceled court sessions starting on March 23.
In an effort to clear the backlog of cases, when the court reopens next month, court dates are expected to be held July 13-July 15 and July 20-21, Richison said
“We will have smaller dockets than normal to keep down the number of people,” he said. “We will limit the number of people in the court room to 10. We will provide numbers for people reporting for court and have them wait in their vehicles. We will bring them in in groups.”
Arnold Days
Richison said it is too early for city officials to decide if Arnold Days will be held this year. The annual festival is scheduled for Sept. 18-20.
“There will come a point where we have to secure vendors and musical acts,” Richison said. “I would like to wait as long as possible before making a decision. That way we have the most up-to-date information. It will be a hard decision. I’m thinking in early August, if I can wait that long, I will try to (have a decision made about Arnold Days).”
