Bend Senior Center to temporarily close; other park and recreation programs canceled
March 12, 2020
Bend Park and Recreation District is taking several steps to limit community exposure to COVID-19 in accordance with state officials and public health guidance.
The Bend Senior Center will suspend service effective at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, March 13. Senior programming located at Bend Senior Center is canceled through at least April 8 and will be re-evaluated based on community conditions. Therapeutic Recreation programs for adults and youth are also canceled through at least April 8.
In addition, some programs and classes at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center are being canceled because they primarily serve older adults. Free Family Night at Juniper scheduled for Saturday, March 14, and the Wally Cup at The Pavilion scheduled to begin Friday, March 13, are canceled due to event size recommendation by Oregon Governor Brown.
In partnership with Bend-La Pine Schools, Kids INC will continue to operate in schools along with Enrichment Wednesday programs. However, BPRD spring break camps and other recreation programs scheduled in schools will be relocated to non-school locations or canceled.
“The district is taking unprecedented measures to do what we can to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Don Horton, Executive Director. “These measures are intended to help protect the most vulnerable populations we serve and to safeguard employees as much as possible.”
Updates are at https://www.bendparksandrec.org/about/public-health-advisory-covid-19/.
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Recreation Facilities
We have increased cleaning procedures, including:
- In the evenings, custodial staff are deep cleaning our fitness equipment to be ready for the following day.
- During open hours, staff are frequently wiping down touch screens, counters, door handles and other surfaces.
- Purell has been placed in our facilities and in our stationary hand sanitizer stations to disinfect your hands.
- In our fitness facilities, we encourage facility users to wipe down pieces of equipment before and after each use.
- CDC and BPRD signs are in place with reminders for patrons.
Parks
- Park Services staff installed signage in all park restrooms encouraging hand washing.
School-based Programs
- Our Kids INC employees are to follow school district procedures for enhanced cleanliness.
BPRD has also placed restrictions on employees to help prevent spread of COVID-19. These restrictions include:
- Suspension of out of town travel to meetings or conferences;
- Meetings may not exceed 25 participants in a confined space and three feet of space is required for social distancing; and
- Capacity in the District Office Community Room will be reduced by 50% to ensure social distancing. 40 or fewer participants will be allowed for reservations in the room through April 8.
District staff are also asked to stay home if feeling ill and to wash hands frequently.
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