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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2020)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, June 17, 2020 A3 Gleason Pool to remain closed during Phase 2 By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Phase 2 began June 5, which gave an opportunity for pools in the approved counties to reopen for the 2020 summer season, but restrictions, costs and staff are some of the rea- sons why Gleason Pool will remain closed this year. During the John Day City Council meeting June 9, rep- resentatives from the city and the John Day-Canyon City Parks and Recreation district answered questions and dis- cussed why the pool would remain closed. When it comes to the cost of reopening, John Day City Manager Nick Green said the team would have to do things that would severely limit the amount of revenue the pool could bring in while signifi- cantly increasing the operating costs. Andy Day of John Day asked what were the restric- tions inhibiting the pool from opening and the cost effective- ness of the extra cost for open- ing the pool. Parks and Rec board mem- ber Lisa Weigum said they are a month behind in plan- ning since the information they had indicated pools wouldn’t reopen until Phase 3 around late August or early September. “We’re already a month behind in terms of mainte- nance of the pool, so if every- thing else went as planned, that would still put us into July,” she said. “Additionally we don’t have the staff to man the pool.” Parks and Rec told the staff who usually run the pool that if other job opportunities came about to seek them because Parks and Rec can’t guarantee their job. This included the certified pool manager, which requires a three-day, in-person course that could potentially be provided online in mid-June. Training for lifeguard certification is a The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Audience members listen at the John Day City Council meeting on June 9 where Gleason Pool and Phase 2 were discussed. three-day, in-person course not being offered currently. “The social distancing required for people in the pool is 30 square feet around each person, and we’re liable to make sure that’s enforced, and we don’t really know how we would do that,” Weigum said. Some of the other rules that would need to be enforced would be to require staff, including lifeguards, to wear a mask, face covering or face shield when not in the water; maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet between people; frequently clean and disinfect work areas, high-traffic areas, regularly clean restrooms and ensure they are supplied with soap, paper towels and hand sanitizer for planned use; and assign a physical distancing monitor in the locker room to ensure visitors follow all physical distancing require- ments, including at entrances, exits, restrooms and any other area where people may gather. Weigum talked to their insurance provider prior to the meeting and learned that Parks and Rec would have to be in complete compliance at all times, and if their provider heard that they were not, Parks and Rec would not have liabil- Eagle file photo Gleason Pool in John Day will remain closed through Phase 2 of the governor’s reopening plan. ity coverage. “It’s kind of complex,” Weigum said. “I’ve heard peo- ple in the community be like, ‘Hey, Boise is doing it. Why can’t we?’ Well we’re Oregon, they’re Idaho, so that’s the first difference. The second dif- ference is that what they can offer and what we can offer in terms of square footage looks a lot different.” Weigum has talked to other pool operators in Pend- leton, Burns and Lakev- iew who also made the deci- sion to remain closed. When talking with Pendleton, they did a cost-benefit analysis to see if the finances would pay off but Weigum said it didn’t for them. She also talked with oper- ators in La Grande who are only offering lap swim for a limited period with one person per lane, which is only open to the hospital for therapy and senior citizens. “We’re trying, but it’s not looking great for us,” Weigum said. Weigum added that the decision was not taken lightly, and a lot of consideration was put into it with input from the board meetings and community. With the pool remaining closed for the 2020 swim sea- son, Dusty Williams of John Day asked if money would be refunded to the taxpayers. Weigum told the Eagle that the funds would be used to help fund other programs the John Day-Canyon City Parks and Recreation District pro- vides in the community such as youth activities and sports like basketball, football, vol- leyball, soccer and T-ball. “We maintain the city park and the Seventh Street Complex, which is nearly 23 acres that includes two base- ball fields, two softball fields, two little league fields, open green space, two playgrounds, two picnic shelters, basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, a skate park, over a mile-long walking path and restroom facilities,” Weigum said. “The role of Parks and Recreation in this community is broader than maintaining and operat- ing the pool.” Grant County Library preparing for when they can open By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle As phases roll out, allow- ing business and buildings to open their doors, one building remains closed as they con- tinue to work hard to be ready to open: the Grant County Library. While the library had plans to open on June 15 or June 22, unanswered questions from state officials have made an opening date unsure at the moment. Grant County Librarian Vicki Bond said they are wait- ing until Gov. Kate Brown talks with the head librarian in the Salem area to figure out what to do with the libraries. “We just have to know exactly how long to quaran- tine our books,” Bond said. “It has to come from the gov- ernor’s mouth. That way our county insurance will cover it if somebody claims they got COVID from us or one of our books.” Bond also expanded on the difference in the county library and why they need to wait for the governor’s response. “A lot of the libraries are state-funded, and it’s a whole different insurance policy, but we are county policy and we have to do what the governor says,” Bond said. The team at the library has been hard at work preparing for when they can open and begin with curbside delivery. Bond said the library got bags and masks so they can put books in them and then hand them out at the doors of the library. They also have dis- infectant wipes to clean every book and plan to date and stamp every book for when the book’s quarantine is finished. For people going online to see if a book is available, the library is planning to have S165194-1 the system update to say if the book is in stock and if it’s in quarantine. “We are trying our hard- est to make our library come back again because we have so many people in our popu- lation that can’t afford to buy books and can’t afford to use the internet for various things such as trainings, job search- ing and things like that,” Bond said. Eagle file photo Grant County Library Director Vicki Bond at the library in 2018. S165199-1
