By Beacon Staff
In the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, many businesses, government buildings, and organizations were temporarily closed this spring.
Now that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has lifted most COVID-19-related restrictions, government buildings are set to reopen while some businesses and institutions will remain closed for the near future.
Burlington City Hall, Burlington Public Works, and the Burlington Wastewater Treatment Facility will reopen to the public this Monday (June 15) after nearly three months of lockdown. As with all city and county reopenings, it comes with a few caveats.
Staff at those buildings must self-screen for illness, and the city will provide protective equipment or safety shields. The city also has established hygiene expectations, including hand-sanitizing stations and increasing the frequency of cleaning.
The Burlington Public Library building remains closed to the public, but the library itself never closed. In addition to allowing online check-out and regular programming on YouTube, the library has curbside checkout. Patrons can also make an appointment to come inside the library and use a computer for one hour, or check out a laptop to use in the parking lot for one hour.
Museum Closures
The Garrett-Phelps House Museum on Columbia Street and the Hawkeye Native’s Log Cabin in Crapo Park, both in Burlington, will remain closed to the public for the rest of the year. The locations are usually opened to the public from the first weekend in May through the last weekend in October.
Several volunteers and employees at the Des Moines County Historical Society are older and thus more vulnerable to the worst effects of COVID-19.
“Their reluctance to act as tour guides and docents right now is certainly understood,” museum director LaVon Worley said.
The Des Moines County Heritage Center Museum, housed in the former public library building, has been shuttered since mid-March. While Reynolds has lifted the restriction allowing museums to reopen, the DMCHS board has not determined when the historic building will resume operation.
“Catfish Corners, our children’s play area, is a big consideration in this decision,” said Robin Schneiderman, executive director of the Des Moines County Heritage Center Museum. “We are disappointed that many tourists will miss out on all three of the museums this season.”
The historical society’s annual fundraiser, Desserts by Design, has also been canceled. The event committee and the Players Workshop volunteers put time and effort into organizing a 100th-anniversary celebration of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and hope the program will be presented at another time.
Swimming Pools
For the most part, the status of the swimming pools in Des Moines County is undetermined. Reynolds has lifted shutdown restrictions on pools, but it is up to each organization to make the final decision.
The Mediapolis Aquatic Center has begun offering season passes. The date for reopening will be announced after this Monday’s city council meeting and announced on the aquatic center’s Facebook page.
The fate of the West Burlington Aquatic Center will be determined by June 19, pool officials said. Burlington city officials have not set a date for the reopening of Dankwardt Park Pool.
“We are currently waiting for repair work to be completed on the liner that was installed in 2016. When the repair is completed, (the) city council will discuss options for the swimming season,” according to a statement on the pool’s Facebook page.
The Huck’s Harbor water park at FunCity in Burlington remains closed. No announcement has been made as to when it will reopen. Catfish Bend Casino and FunCity are back open, as well as the Catfish Bend Casino, Cold Stone Creamery, CocoLoco’s Gift Shop, and Restore RX at The Spa.
The Boogaloo Sports Bar and Grill, arcade, KingPins Bowling, and ZOOM! Go-Karts opened on Thursday, June 11. The Catfish Bend Inn and Spa are reopening on June 18.
PZAZZ! Resort Hotel, Indoor and Outdoor Huck’s Water Park, Tiki Bar, LazerTown, Ballocity, SkyTrail, Gasoline Allie’s Candy Alley are currently closed at this time.