The Town of Coaldale office is scheduled to reopen during their regular hours on Monday, June 8th. The following measures will be put into place to ensure the safety of both visitors and employees:
- No more than 2 people at a time in the foyer. All others will need to wait outside.
- A physical distance of 2 meters between visitors is required. Decals will be placed on the floor to designate where visitors will need to stand.
Signs will be posted as you enter the office to enforce these safety protocols and hand sanitizer will be made available for those entering and exiting the building.
The process of reopening Town facilities coincides with the Town’s introduction of the Municipal Recovery Plan, a summary document with information associated with COVID-19 recovery tactics introduced to Council during the May 25th Regular Council Meeting. This document outlines broad recovery strategies that have already been put into motion. Examples of some of this work include:
- Town staff’s ongoing work with the local business community;
- Efforts taken by Community Services to continue to offer events and activities; and
- Council’s commitment to reducing the burden on the community by eliminating planned non-residential tax increases and approving the deferral of utilities payments
The Municipal Recovery Plan is not a definitive, step-by-step road to recovery, but rather an overarching summary of the substantial amount of work that is evidenced in the actions already taken by the Town as well as a high-level summary of the Town’s proactive recovery planning process.
In pairing with the Municipal Recovery Plan, Council also approved the distribution of the What’s Open in Coaldale? document which outlines the reopening of municipal facilities alongside the provincial relaunch phases. As the province continues to move forward into the next phases of recovery, proactive communication will be taken to keep these documents up to date so residents can refer to it for updates on the Town’s recovery status.
One of the major wins for the Town was the reopening of the playgrounds on Friday, May 22nd. “When [on] Friday afternoon when we finally got an announcement that playgrounds can be open, the number of kids in my neighborhood that flocked over to Jenny Emery School and others with a big smile on their faces was pretty important to a lot of the parents in our neighborhood,” said Councillor Roger Hohm. Coaldale’s Emergency Management Team has recommended that residents follow provincial restrictions which are listed on signs placed in playground areas to facilitate behavior that will keep families safe.