At their meeting today, the City Commissioners unanimously voted against staff recommendations to cancel many fall parks and recreation activities to mitigate COVID-19 spread.
The staff recommendations included canceling city-sponsored fall sports like football, volleyball and baseball as well as many holiday and community events.
The Commissioners agreed with the staff recommendation to cancel large special events like the Winter Festival, the Holiday Stroll at Cascades Park, Frenchtown Rising and more.
“I just do not see how we could do Winter Fest, as much as that pains me, but in that scenario we’re talking tens of thousands of people concentrated in Downtown,” Mayor John Dailey said.
However, going against staff recommendations, the Commissioners voted to host youth and adult sports and open the Meadows Soccer Complex and City-run tennis and pickleball courts.
Dailey expressed strong support for opening City facilities for fall sports.
“At some point, we are going to have to offer the programming that we have, and the responsibility should be on the parents and families to make the appropriate decisions,” Dailey said. “I am a full proponent of our parks and rec sports.”
“I have spoken with hospitals, pediatricians, general physicians that have also stressed some of the studies that are coming out talking about the mental health impacts of COVID on our children and the physical health aspects as well,” he continued.
Commissioner Dianne-Williams Cox made a motion to open up City facilities for fall sports. The motion passed unanimously.
Notably, the City will reserve the right to shut down events if they get too large. Additionally, the City plans to work with private organizations that use its facilities to develop safety plans.
Dailey emphasized that the City will need the community’s cooperation.
“Be safe, be smart, and follow the guidelines that these leagues and the City will create,” he said.
The Commissioners also passed a motion to create an agreement between the City and the Leon County School District for accommodating swim meets at the Trousdell Aquatics Center.
Original article:
At this week’s City Commission meeting, following a rise in COVID-19 cases, the Commissioners will weigh reopening parks and recreation facilities for certain activities and events this fall.
The meeting agenda outlines staff recommendations for mitigating the spread of COVID-19, which includes suspending and canceling many parks and recreation activities.
One recommendation is canceling all special events in City parks and properties through the end of the year.
“This would include City events like the Winter Festival, the Holiday Stroll at Cascades Park, Elf Night and Soul Santa along with community events like Frenchtown Rising, the Veterans Day Parade, the DIA Sundown Concert Series and New Year’s Eve events along with other smaller events at various parks and facilities,” staff reports.
Staff also recommends not hosting organized sports at City facilities this fall, including football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball.
“While modifications can be made in each sport to attempt to mitigate potential exposure risks, by their inherent nature, these sports require close contact and sharing of equipment,” staff reports. “Also, it would not be practical or realistic to offer sports activities without spectators, especially youth sports.”
Additionally, staff recommends suspending consideration of requests to host high school swim meets. Currently, the City has a shortage of lifeguards. Only the Trousdell Aquatics Center is open, and it cannot accommodate high school meets.
“In order to accommodate the request to host these meets, the Trousdell Aquatics Center would have to be closed to the public for a full day for the district meet and for four hours each for eight dual meets, affecting up to 200-plus public lap swimmers and water walkers,” staff reports.
Additional recommendations are keeping the Meadows Soccer Complex closed and allowing use of Forestmeadows and Tom Brown Park tennis and pickleball courts as long as games are spaced out with one empty court in between.
UPDATED: City Commission Votes Against Canceling Fall Sports at City Facilities added by Lexie Pitzen on
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The County Commissioners are doing the same EXCEPT, they will still hold their “Cross Country Track Meet” this year. THAT is wrong, cancel ALL or none. You should play favorites.
What complete failures of DNA are repesented in the comments. 200 k people dead.
Who exactly are making all of these asinine recommendations? It’s almost totalitarian that a tiny group of people are crushing the capitalists of the Capital.
So the city can cancel holiday events and the Veteran’s Day Parade, but you can ‘peacefully’ protest on any public space no questions asked. Makes perfect sense.
The klown show that is the Capital District continues. If they had their choice, they’d lock us down again like that lunatic Dan Andrews in the State of Victoria, Australia over a few Covid-1984 “cases”. Just rename all these sporting activities as sporting “protests” and call it a day. The Rona will then be fooled into not attacking all those “peaceful” sporting protestors and maybe our kids can have some semblance of their lives back and our Kommissars will feel pleased with themselves.
I’m beginning to feel strongly that random drug testing is a must for these folks. The gig is up people… as each day passes, the reality of the manufactured hysteria over this scamdemic is exposed more and more… try to keep up will ya.
The distance between pragmatic leadership and partisan gamesmanship grows shorter and shorter… it’s time for you folks to decide which end of the rope are you going to be caught holding when this lunacy ends.
Hello commissioners! Our kids are already playing travel sports and have been for months. We took our money elsewhere. Thanks no thanks.
When are Adam Corey and Andrew Gillum going to refund the city for the Edison funds since there was an inappropriate relationship when obtaining those monies?
When will they be prosecuted? Will the city commissioners who voted to expend the funds be charged as co-conspirators?
Vote these idiots OUT! Show them that their politically motivated decisions have consequences!
Are we getting a refund on our property taxes?
Well, there’s a coming budget crisis for Tallahassee because of the way these idiots have killed the economy. ‘Staff’ recommendations are from overpaid bureaucrats that don’t want to do anything creative to do their jobs.
If that is the case, will the workers be laid off without pay?
Right on! If the city Rec Department recommends cessation of what they do then close the doors of the Rec Department and send the employees home as they are clearly not needed.