SUNDRE — The municipality has reopened the Greenwood Campground with some restrictions and guidelines in place.
All of the campsites were available as of Friday, June 19, and campers must be self-sufficient. That means they’ll need their own water and washrooms as the public facilities will for the time being remain closed, said Sue Nelson, community services manager. The cookhouse also remains closed for the season, according to the town's website.
When contacted on Thursday, June 18, Nelson told The Albertan plans to reopen the municipal office and other town-owned facilities were still being prepared.
“We’re still working on doing the requirements that we need to do before we can open up,” she said.
Mayor Terry Leslie expressed appreciation to visitors who refrained from coming through town during the height of the pandemic. He also said he was grateful for the courtesy and respect extended by those who did decide to come out.
“We haven’t seen an outbreak, which is kind of everybody’s goal,” Leslie said last week.
Efforts to figure out how to reopen facilities were ongoing, but the mayor expected more definitive information some time this week.
Council was scheduled to conduct a teleconference meeting last night (Monday, June 22), and the upcoming spring workshop that has been scheduled for Saturday, July 11 will be carried out in-person in a municipal facility that will accommodate physical distancing measures, he said.
“We’re starting to look at trying to get those issues back to regularity. As the restrictions are relaxed and lifted, then we want to get back to the things we’ve had to put on hold.”
Although council typically takes a summer break following the last meeting in June, there could potentially be an unplanned meeting or two in July and August, he said.
“Council can call a special meeting any time, with short notice, to make sure business and development isn’t delayed,” he said.
“But there isn’t a regularly scheduled council meeting until after the middle of August.”
Council is optimistic and excited about returning to a routine where everyone is back together, of course practising social distancing and adhering to other regulations to mitigate the potential of an outbreak, he said.
“As much as we want to get back to normal, we will still have to be vigilant,” he said.
“I like to say it’s the new abnormal, because I really think that we’re going to get back to a normal. It’s just not yet.”
Meanwhile, the Sundre Municipal Library is expected to reopen tomorrow (Tuesday, June 23), said manager Karen Tubb.
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