The Crookston Park and Rec will cancel all youth and adult summer programs this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A press release from Park and Rec is below –
The Parks & Recreation Department has made a very difficult decision to cancel all of our summer programs and sports team activities (youth and adult). These programs do not allow for safe social distancing with a gathering of 10 people or less at this time and put the participants at risk as well as the instructors, coaches, and all involved. Many factors were considered when making this decision. The issue that we faced in every scenario was how can we offer these programs safely. In the end, we felt it was in everyone’s best interest to cancel for the summer, although we will continue to explore options going forward. We are planning to have a physical activity or mental challenge each day for youth, Monday through Friday, and will be posting them on our Parks & Recreation Facebook page.
The parks, trails, and open spaces can provide opportunities for physical activity while also providing opportunities for health and wellness. Individuals are encouraged to use our parks, trails, and open spaces safely as they are able while following current guidance to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
INTERVIEW WITH PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR SCOTT RIOPELLE
Parks and Recreation Director Scott Riopelle said that allowing time for seasonal staff to find other summer positions played a roll in making the determination in a timely manner. “That was a factor in our making a decision ahead of time, was that these people that do apply for jobs whether we hire them or not would have an opportunity to look for jobs elsewhere,” said Riopelle. “The idea was we need to make this; we can’t have those people hanging. But that was a factor in our decision making at this point.”
Asked whether there is any concern about youth and adults not getting enough physical activity, Riopelle said that’s why came up with the idea to post challenges on social media. “That’s part of the reason we’d put some kind of challenge, physical or mental, or whatever it would be,” said Riopelle. “Some of them may go to our disc golf, for instance. That is on our list, and you could go out there to get your exercise. We do want people as we say on the bottom of that (press release) to utilize our park, trails, and open spaces, it’s just, make sure they do it in a safe manner.”
Riopelle said they are exploring options moving forward but was non-committal about whether smaller group programs may be developed as the summer progresses. “That part I can’t say yes or no for sure,” said Riopelle. “We’re exploring options as we go forward for anything at this point. That’s the best I can answer for that.”
Facilities will be available for non-city groups, like American Legion Baseball, if they have plans in place that allow for those activities to take place safely, according to Riopelle. “Utilizing facilities such as that outdoor facility could still happen,” said Riopelle. “Those people would have to come up with a plan for how they would do it safely in order for us to allow them to do that. The other deal is we have taken all of our personnel, and they are working on maintenance at the parks. I don’t know how we would make fields at this point. We’d have to face that down the road, that challenge, and see how we can overcome it.”
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