OCTOBER 6, 2020

TALLMADGE, Ohio – The Parks and Recreation department is following in the footsteps of other such departments around the county and state.

The Tallmadge Recreation Center expanded its hours and available services Sept. 28 in line with the Responsible Restart Ohio guidelines. Both the soccer field and basketball Court 1 are accessible to Rec Center guests – the field permitting one small group at a time, and the court limited to one household per hoop.

Adam Bozic, the Board Advisor for the Parks and Recreation department, hopes to enforce wearing a mask at all times in either arena.

“We’re always in the building, we’re always alert and present. And we’ll help enforce that as we see needed,” Bozic said.

Staff members throughout the first and second floors will be responsible for upholding the mask mandate. Still, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jessica Simons recognizes the challenges that come with such a regulation.

“It’s been something that we’ve been battling since the mandatory masks went into effect. But, it’s a difficult thing to enforce, and it’s odd to me because I feel like it’s not really that big of a deal to wear a mask.” Simons said.

Childcare also returns to the Rec Center with limited hours and attendance. Yet, the beloved playground structure remains closed, and school-aged children are required to don their masks.

Perhaps most notably, the Rec Center has eliminated its three-hour midday cleaning period. As the weather cools, Simons anticipates a rise in attendance – to reduce density, the facility will remain open until 8 p.m. on weekdays.  

However, Bozic promises rigorous cleaning procedures throughout business hours.

“Just with anything, the more you do it, the more you practice, the better you get … that’s certainly been the case here, so we feel it’s a good time to expand our hours,” Bozic said. “Everything in the facility is getting cleaned just as much as it was before, if not probably more.”

As of Sept. 28, Summit County has a moving average of 28 COVID-19 cases per day. Whereas, for the previous phase of the Rec Center reopening July 6, the moving average was 36 cases. Still, when outdoor playgrounds and courts were re-instated a month prior, the county average was only 15 cases per day.

Nonetheless, the city of Tallmadge accounts for just 3% of all positive cases in Summit County – and Simons affirms that she’s given the utmost consideration to these ever-changing factors.

“It has been a source of stress for basically the last six months – you know, trying to balance what’s right for our members, what’s right for our community, and what we have to do to help keep our community safe,” Simons said.

According Simons, community soccer and basketball leagues are slated to return with limited spectators this November, in conjunction with further extended hours.