Teens at the skateboard park last week. (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

COVID-19

City of P.A. closes skate park, playgrounds and courts

Apr 30, 2020 | 1:11 PM

The City of Prince Albert has closed the Kinsmen skateboard park, playgrounds, basketball courts and tennis courts to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Mayor Greg Dionne told paNOW a temporary fence will be erected around the skate park and concrete barriers will be put up nearby to restrict traffic access.

“The main reason we did it was the amount of people that gathered [at the skate park],” Dionne said. “We had people gathering in the parking lot in large groups, we had them in the skateboard park, and that’s what’s going to happen. If people resist volunteer orders to stay away, we’ll take the appropriate steps to make sure that happens because at the end of the day we’re going to keep our community safe.”

Meanwhile signs will be posted near playgrounds telling people they are closed and to stay off them.

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While in some other municipalities, play structures have been wrapped in caution tape, Dionne said P.A. didn’t feel like that was necessary because very few people are currently using the structures.

Parks, trails and public spaces remain open, but the public must follow a list of directives from the city that includes staying two meters apart at all times, not gathering in groups of more than 10 and avoiding touching shared surfaces like benches and railings.

“People are going cuckaloo in their houses,” Dionne said.

“We’re trying to assist people if you want to go for a walk on the Rotary Trail or do some exercise or take your kid and go play catch ball, we don’t have a problem with that,” he said. “But don’t take 10 of the other neighbourhood kids with you to play ball because we still have to keep isolation and distancing.”

The City of P.A. has also provided updates about other outdoor facilities.

Kinsmen Water Park was scheduled to open June 5, but given gathering restrictions, the Water Park will be closed for at least the month of June. The city is evaluating the feasibility of opening later in the summer and announcements will be made when available.

While golf courses are allowed to open May 15 under the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, due to the late spring, the current condition of the Cooke Municipal Golf Course will delay the opening past that date. More announcements will be made soon.

Most of the city’s recreation amenities that are now closed are in phase four of the Re-Open Plan.

“While we remain optimistic, it seems unlikely we will be in a position to make any changes to these directives through the summer,” Director of Community Services Jody Boulet said in a media release. “Of course, we continue to evaluate the feasibility of changes for July and August and will work to get updates to the public as soon as they are available.“

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom