Civic Centre Set to Re-Open

Posted:

City Council has approved the ‘COVID-19 Safe Operations Plan’ for re-opening the Kimberley Civic Centre. The Centre will open its doors on September 18th for ice time. On September 21st, residents will be welcomed to use the walking track at specified times.

The re-opening plan was guided by direction from the Provincial Health Officer, the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA), Recreation Facilities Association of British Columbia (RFABC), viaSport, and Sport BC. The plan will ensure the highest safety standards and processes are adopted in order to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our community.

In addition to the typical protocols of hand washing, staying home if sick, and physical distancing, other safety measures specific to the Civic Centre are in place. Primarily, all user groups are required to submit their own safety plan to Civic Centre staff prior to being allowed to use the facility with the exception of walking track users.  

Change rooms and showers are closed. Ice users will be required to suit up prior to entering the facility, and will have to wear their gear out of the building (space will be available inside for changing skates).  Users are required to enter through the Mark Creek entrance and exit onto the parking lot on Rotary Drive. A maximum number of 50 people are allowed in the building at any time. This includes facility staff, players/participants, and coaches. Contact information is required to be provided to a designated person at each session.

All users are required to familiarize themselves with the City’s Civic Centre COVID-19 Safe Operations Plan found at this link: http://bit.ly/CivicCentre. Users will need to sign a form indicating that they have read the document. Ice users should also familiarize themselves with their own provincial sporting bodies plan and their local group’s safety plan prior to participating in any activity.

The walking track will be open Monday to Friday with the following schedule – Monday, 9:00 AM – 10:45 AM; Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 12:45 PM; Wednesday, 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM; Thursday, 9:00 AM – 12:45 PM; and Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:15 PM. Users are asked to use the accessibility entrance at the northeast corner of the building on Rotary Drive. Walking track users will also be required to provide their name and personal contact information for contact tracing purposes but are not required to submit a safety plan. No other users will be allowed in the building while the walking track is open.

Ample time has been included on the Civic Centre schedule to ensure user groups are able to enter and exit the building safely between events and to give staff time to clean surfaces. The complete Civic Centre schedule will be available soon.

Like most other City facilities, the Civic Centre closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City expects to update the public on the status of the Aquatic Centre in early October.

For more information, please see the full Covid-19 Safe Operations Plan at http://bit.ly/CivicCentre or call the City Operations desk at 250-427-9660.