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By Elliott Knopp

Outdoor Rinks

No further restrictions expected at Meadow Lake recreation facilities

Dec 7, 2020 | 3:58 PM

With the winter break right around the corner for students in the community, Meadow Lake city administration is looking at ways to safely regulate recreational hotspots during the holidays.

While some municipalities have taken direct measures, such as removing hockey nets to discourage people from using facilities like outdoor rinks, the city is taking a much more subtle approach. Local officials say they will be following public health guidelines set out by the province, and there aren’t any plans to impose any further restrictions.

Regan Beck, Parks and Recreation Manager, mentioned the city has plans to open up the outdoor rink once the weather provides them with the opportunity to improve ice quality, but skaters will not have immediate access to the warm-up shack as they return to the rink.

“We thought it was an unnecessary risk that we couldn’t afford to take at this time,” Beck said. “It’s a smaller space, so to have too many people in there would just have too much of a risk of transmissions.”

“While we still think it’s very important to get outside and be active, certainly through the winter months that is a challenge everyone faces, unfortunately, we won’t be able to open that one up.”

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Beck noted he has yet to receive feedback on the decision, he anticipates more input from the community as the facility will be in higher demand in the coming weeks.

With no immediate plans to reopen the warm-up shack, Beck stated administrators would like to make the amenity available to residents once there has been a reduction in COVID-19 cases. He added the city is following the guidelines set out by the provincial government.

“I think people understand, and I think people are well aware of what’s going on right now,” he said. “Whether they are accepting of that or not, I think people understand from a municipal government situation where we have to come from and what type of measures we have to put in place.”

Beck stated he is hopeful the new measures taken by the province will curb the rise of COVID-19 cases so residents can have better access to the community centres. In the meantime, city officials are looking at ways they can encourage residents to enjoy other forms of recreation within the community.

“We’re looking at different avenues to promote recreation and physical activity through the winter months outside, which is probably a little bit of a safer measure too,” he said. “We have a lot of different ideas we are working towards, and this is an opportunity for us to focus on some other things.”

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp