Jakiyah Champion, 5, and other children play in the water Thursday, June 18, 2020, at the Jack M. Mann Splash Pad in Longview. The splash pad opened Thursday with limited capacity and reduced hours because of COVID-19 precautions. (Les Hassell/News-Journal File Photo)

COVID-19 concerns “wiped out” spring parks and recreation programming in Longview, but some activities have come back into operation for the summer, with complete programming expected in the fall.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Monday became the first local city government board to meet in person, spreading out inside the City Council chambers to hear an update from Parks and Recreation and Director Scott Caron.

“Our intent is to move forward as we normally would and see what curve balls are thrown our way,” Caron said of fall programming.

Parks and recreation facilities and activities shut down March 19 because of fears about potential spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Facilities and activities are starting to reopen with limited capacity and hours, including the Paula Martin Jones Recreation Center and Broughton Recreation Center. 

The Longview Swim Center opened June 6 at 25% capacity and is now operating at 50% capacity. The city’s second pool, Ingram Pool, will open Thursday at 50% capacity, Caron said, after explaining that challenges created by COVID-19 affected the city’s ability to train and hire lifeguards.

Caron said he initially didn’t think Ingram Pool would be able to open until July. Its earlier opening is a “testament to how hard staff worked” to get people trained and ready to work at the pool.

He said later it appears concerns about COVID-19 are affecting attendance at the city’s aquatic facilities.

The city’s largest splash pad, the popular Jack M. Mann Splash Pad, also has reopened at reduced capacity. It and the pools operate with social distancing guidelines in place and efforts to keep the facilities cleaned and sanitized.

Information Caron provided shows that in June 2019, the Longview Swim Center logged attendance of 5,145 people over 22 days of operation. During about 11 days of operations so far in June this year, the swim center has seen 1,378 attendees. 

Caron also said a rumor is circulating that the city doesn’t plan to reopen the Green Street Recreation Center, which is reserved for people ages 35 and older but largely serves a senior population. 

He said the city is ready to open the center the next day after the governor lifts restrictions on visiting nursing homes, but it won’t do so until then.

Caron cited one national survey that said 75% of senior centers around the country have not reopened. He noted the high risk factor COVID-19 poses for seniors and said all the activities at the senior center have the members there “in close proximity” to each other.

“I just don’t know if we can provide a setting I’d feel comfortable with if it was my parents or grandparents,” Caron said.

Also on Monday, Caron:

• Provided an update on the Phase 2 Guthrie Creek trail construction, saying he hopes for work to take the trail under Judson Road to be finished before school starts in August or soon after.
• Said baseball and softball tournaments have been scheduled at city facilities through July, as organizations return to play after COVID-19 closures.
• Said with the cancellation of activities and programs in the spring, the city shifted resources to clean up trails affected by storms earlier in the year and to operate the city’s COVID-19 hotline, answering as many as 300 calls a day early during the shelter-in-place orders.