Port Coquitlam kids will soon be able to play ice hockey while their parents can pay taxes in person at city hall and attend council meetings in a special room set up for the purpose as part of a phased in re-opening of city facilities.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8, hockey, figure skating, ringette and speed-skating user groups will be able to hit the ice with safety protocols in place.
Meanwhile, at the Gathering Place at Leigh Square, council will meet in public Tuesday, Sept. 8, although there will be limited capacity for audience members. The Gathering Place was chosen because there is greater capacity than council chambers and better access and egress.
It’s all part of a plan to operate as normal as possible and even provide additional services where possible given that COVID-19 restrictions are expected to be with us for some time, says the city’s mayor.
COUNCIL MEETINGS A PRIORITY
“This is something we’re going to have to work at continually through the pandemic,” Mayor Brad West said, adding: “We need an idea and a strategy and plan to help us get back to how things were. We're constantly working at it, evaluating what’s working and trying to be creative in adapting our services.”
Among the creative ideas, he cites, was allowing alcohol in several parks, which he said has been popular with few problems, redeploying staff to connect with isolated seniors and allowing patios to expand with free city labour to help get them in place.
Re-opening council meetings was a priority, West said, because it’s important for people to be able to witness politicians in action. And while Zoom meetings didn’t have much impact on in-person contact with city hall, having a place people can go to deal with issues and public hearings is important, he added.
There will be physical distancing and people may be required to sign up for a time slot to speak to avoid crowds. West said he’ll likely be wearing a mask during the proceedings.
Meanwhile, people can go to city hall and pay their tax and utility bills, although online payment is an option.
LONG LIST OF PROTOCOLS
The city’s list of COVID-19 measures is extensive and will include enhanced cleaning, sanitizing stations, signs, barriers, floor markings and one-way traffic to ensure physical distancing, one-way entrance and exit signs, as well as encouraging people to wear masks.
As for recreational services, they are opening slowly, starting with ice rinks. Here are the plans so far.
• At PCCC, two arenas will open Sept. 8 for user groups with approved COVID-19 safety plans. In late September, plans are to open public skating, fitness and weight training areas. All services will require advanced pre-registration.
• At Hyde Creek, indoor swimming, fitness and weight training areas will open later in the fall once key maintenance activities are completed. Advanced registration will be required. Details will be available at www.portcoquitlam.ca/recreation in early September.
• Outdoor pool season will be extended at Robert Hope and Centennial Pools based on weather and demand.
• At Leigh Square, pre-registered programs at the Gathering Place and the Outlet will be available later in the fall.
Part of the challenge, according to West, is ensuring there is demand for programs because they are costly to run, and need to be scaled up slowly.
As of now, there are no plans yet to re-open the PCCC leisure pool, which opened only for a few days in March before it had to shut down because of COVID-19 restrictions.
“The guiding principle here is responsibility and being responsible both in terms of health and safety in terms of operations as well as being financially responsible,” he said. “We are diligently working towards those reopenings. I feel confident that we’ll get there.”
News of two of the city’s ice rinks opening to user groups comes as amateur athletes throughout B.C. have been told they can engage in more organized sport activities and some competitive play this fall as the province moves to Phase 3 of the Return to Sport Guidelines.
Meanwhile, people can still enjoy farm fresh food with the continued presence of the Port Coquitlam Farmer’s Market.
The PoCo Farmers Market will continue outdoors in the parking lot next to Leigh Square on Thursday afternoons, from 3 to 7 p.m. until Oct. 8. Curbside pick-up from the Gathering Place will also continue to be available at www.farmersandmore.org.
