ANN ARBOR, MI – September 11, 2020, On Tuesday, September 15, 2020 the Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center will once again open its doors. The reopening comes in alignment with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order [2020-176] and will initially be open to members only. To support and ensure proper social distancing at the facility some additional rules and guidelines will be implemented.
September 15, staff at the Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center will begin monitoring attendance at the facility. The facility will be operating at 25% capacity, approximately 114 people, and each room (weight room, cardio room, gymnasium and track) will have its own capacity requirements. Other notable changes to expect are:
- Reduced building hours (M-F, 6:00AM-8:00PM; Sat-Sun, 8:00AM-6PM) for enhanced cleaning
- Members will be required to sign-in and out, as well as provide a contact number for contract tracing
- Masks will be required in all areas, except the pool
- Locker rooms will be closed for general use, members should come dressed to workout
- Schedules for gym activities including, Pickleball and Badminton, will be posted on the website (washtenaw.org/reccenter), members must bring their personal equipment.
The pool will be open with four lap swim lanes available and will allow only one person per lane. Reservations will be required and can be made for 45-minute time slots up to 48 hours in advance by calling the service desk at 734-971-6355 during normal business hours. Although the facility is limited in the number of lap swimmers that can be in the pool at one time, lap swim times will be available throughout much of the day as classes have not yet resumed. Additionally, the locker rooms have been divided and showers are for use by swimmers only.
“While patrons of the facility may experience some delayed access to areas of the building or even to the building itself during our busiest times, we will be tracking this information so that we can encourage our members with more flexible schedules to choose alternative times”, said Diane Carr, Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center Superintendent.
Safety is the facilities top priority. Extra cleaning and sanitizing precautions will be taken including a flagging system to help identify recently used member-cleaned equipment so that staff can provide an additional cleaning.
“We are looking forward to having our members back. This is going to be a learning experience for all of us so we ask for your patience so we can get through this challenging time together.” said Carr. For additional details, updated information, and a video walk-through of the new check-in process, please visit our website: washtenaw.org/reccenter.
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Contact:
Diane Carr
Recreation Center Superintendent
Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission
[email protected]
734-971-6355
Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission
The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, founded in 1973, currently manages 14 parks and 33 nature preserves totaling more than 6,000 acres. Washtenaw County Parks provides recreational and nature-based programming. Visit us at washtenaw.org/parks on Facebook and Instagram, or call 734-971-6337.