The city of Durango and La Plata County announced sweeping closures Friday to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, the city will close the Durango Community Recreation Center, the Durango Public Library, Chapman Hill ski area and ice rink and Durango Gymnastics until April 7, when City Council will meet to re-evaluate closures of public spaces, interim City Manager Amber Blake said Friday.
Also, Durango/La Plata Senior Center will close to the public Monday with a tentative plan to reopen the facility to the public March 30, according to a news release. The Senior Center will continue to provide home-delivered meals but transportation and chore services will not be available.
Both Durango and La Plata County elected officials plan to hold public meetings virtually, according to officials at both agencies.
Durango’s city manager has the authority to declare a state of emergency, and Blake told City Council on Friday that she has an order prepared but is not ready to sign it.
City Councilor Dean Brookie urged Blake to declare an emergency Friday to make resources available for pre-emptive action, including allowing the city to use its Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights reserve of more than $1 million.
“We have the most to lose as a small community, and the impact affects us greater than Denver,” he said. “The action to shorten the overall impact is really urgent.”
Blake declined to declare an emergency Friday and said the city will follow the lead of San Juan Basin Public Health.
“We are starting mitigation factors and will continue to discuss next week,” she said of the emergency declaration Friday. “It is ready to go, but I’m not signing it today.”
The city may limit access to city-owned facilities, and La Plata County Fairgrounds staff is contacting event organizers to offer refunds to cancel events.
The city has restricted department spending to essential purchases only and implemented a limited and temporary hiring freeze as it prepares for uncertain revenue as the pandemic unfolds nationwide.
“This is a time when we’ll really need to lean on community partners to ensure we’re not duplicating efforts and supporting each other,” Blake said.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
