Homewood-Flossmoor Park District commissioners are in a quandary: How can the park district serve the public while staying within social distancing guidelines?
Will there be summer day camp? Will the pool open June 6 as planned? What about organized sports? When will the Racquet & Fitness Club reopen?
There are no easy answers, according to Debbie Kopas, executive director, who told commissioners at the May 5 virtual meeting that staff is brainstorming ideas but they don’t have specific parameters to work with. Right now, every playground is off limits.
And like every other organization and business, staff doesn’t know if or when people will be willing to join park activities.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker set out a Recover Illinois plan with five phases. Illinois is now in Phase 2. It won’t be until Phase 3 that some childcare can be offered, but Phase 3 rules still say groups should be limited to 10 people.
Modified camps, such as Hobo Jungle, could happen with guidelines the park staff feels it and kids can work within.
“We’re just not sure, and we don’t have enough information to put anything out to the public yet,” Kopas said. The Illinois guidelines all say “with guidance on safety from IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) but we don’t know what those are.”
Commissioners hope to make a decision at the May 19 meeting on whether Lions Club Pool will open. Kopas said it takes time to get the pool ready and hire staff, so she will put the question on the agenda.
“We have to recognize that we’re not going to get the crowd we normally get. While there are people clamoring to get back to whatever normal is, there’s probably 60 percent of the population who respect this virus and wouldn’t go to a pool if it was open,” Kopas said. “From an emotional standpoint and giving the community what it needs, it’s a much harder decision. Getting kids swim lessons is a good thing.”
Closing the pool also will change some of the summer camp offerings because they use the pool.
“It’s going to be a really hard decision to figure this one out,” said Commissioner Debbie Dennison.
The park district has canceled its three Starry Nights concerts at Irwin Park.
Also, the park district furloughed 22 full-time people and all its part-time staff.
On a positive note, Coyote Run Golf Course had a tremendous turnout the first weekend in May after the governor allowed golf courses to reopen, with certain restrictions. It had slots for 306 golfers and 281 slots were filled.
Tom Denklau, golf manager, is hoping the Illinois Professional Golf Association and the PGA will be able to convince Pritzker to pull back a few of the restrictions, including moving from golfing in pairs to the traditional four-some, and allowing carts for single golfers.