The City of Port Angeles has been doing its best effort to protect the collective health and safety of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, we have kept the majority of our parks and open spaces open with the hope that the public will follow the Governor’s guidelines while visiting them. The difficult decision to temporarily close many facilities in March 2020, including the Dog Park and Skate Park, was made by the Parks & Recreation Department after consulting with the City's Legal team and Clallam County Health officials. At the onset of the pandemic, our department announced that we would reopen the Dog Park and Skate Park facilities once Clallam County moves to Phase III of the Governor's Safe Start Washington reopening plan and 50 or more people can gather outdoors. Since this time, we continue to see Washington State reopen recreational opportunities for non-profits and private recreational businesses, while no additional guidance for outdoor recreation, other than youth sports, has been provided.
After much research and careful consideration, the City of Port Angeles will reopen the Lincoln Park Dog Park and the Erickson Playfield Skate Park on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, based on the following:
- Though we have not been able to find specific guidance from the Governor’s Office regarding dog parks or unstaffed skate park facilities, our research shows that many cities and counties have reopened these facilities in Phase 2, with restrictions on group size in effect. This follows the Safe Start guidelines for Gatherings within this phase.
- The City has consulted Clallam County Health officials, who support the reopening of these facilities and believe these to be allowable activities at this time.
Guidelines for Dog Park and Skate Park Use
The following guidelines are in place in order to ensure physical distancing and continue to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Lincoln Park Dog Park (View a downloadable PDF of the guidelines here):
- Enter at your own risk, the park is not sanitized.
- Do not enter park if you are exhibiting any illness symptoms or have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
- Wash your hands before and after entering the park.
- Limit groups to five or fewer and spread out to promote at least six feet of physical distancing.
- Wear a mask when proper distancing cannot be accomplished.
- Avoid physical contact like handshakes or high fives.
- Avoid touching gates, fences, benches, water faucets and trash cans with bare hands.
Erickson Playfield Skate Park (View a downloadable PDF of the guidelines here):
- Enter at your own risk, the park is not sanitized.
- Do not enter park if you are exhibiting any illness symptoms or have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
- Wash your hands before and after entering the park.
- Limit groups to five or fewer and spread out to promote at least six feet of physical distancing.
- Wear a mask before and after exercise.
- Avoid physical contact like handshakes or high fives.
- Avoid touching gates, fences, rails, ramps and trash cans with bare hands.
- No spectating, congregating or lingering on or near the Skate Park before or after riding.
The City of Port Angeles continues to evaluate resources, requirements and best practices in determining the reopening of our facilities and services. For the latest information, please visit https://www.cityofpa.us/161/Parks-Recreation.