What will it take to allow public parking at Fresno’s biggest parks amid COVID-19?
As stores are opening in Fresno, city leaders are weighing freeing up parking spaces at parks — but the process can be tricky, officials say.
More and more restaurants and shops have begun working their way back into the economy after being closed more than two months to help tamp down the spread of the coronavirus.
Going outside can help cure residents of quarantine fatigue and carries a lower risk of transmitting the virus than being inside a grocery store or restaurant, experts say. But there is still a risk if people don’t social distance or observe other safety precautions.
That balance is slowing Fresno’s response to encouraging people to gather at regional parks like Woodward or Roeding, according to Mark Standriff, the city spokesperson.
While the city’s parks are all open during the day, the gates to parking lots are locked at green spaces of all sizes, including Woodward and Roeding parks.
“We’re looking into opening them sometime soon,” Standriff said. “We’re still concerned about social distancing.”
The city leaders are waiting on guidelines from county and state health officials before unlocking the gates and, in turn, encouraging people to gather at picnic tables, playgrounds and other areas, he said.
In the meantime, visitors routinely use retail parking at Friant Road and Audubon Drive and walk into Woodward. There’s also public road space in nearby neighborhoods.
Finding parking near Roeding can be more difficult.
Some of the larger parks also have bathrooms or other facilities that would likely need to be cleaned routinely throughout the day to fight the spread of the coronavirus. That kind of attention would probably mean the city would have to bring on more staffers, which itself takes time.
“It’s not like we can flip the switch and everybody goes back,” Standriff said.
Dog parks are under the same constraints but offer a few other wrinkles to consider. Standriff said people in dog parks tend to socialize and sit in one place as the dogs are off roaming.
Then there’s the cases identified by health experts of dogs carrying the coronavirus, which does not make them sick, but could be spread to humans.
The city also is waiting on guidance for public pools, summer camps and other recreational amenities.
Other parks
Shaver Lake will begin a limited reopening on Saturday, according to Southern California Edison, which operates the lake.
Visitors to the lake are still being asked to observe appropriate physical distancing, wear masks and limit the duration of visits.
Parks run by Fresno County and their parking lots were reopened on May 11, according to Jordan Scott, the county’s spokesperson. Camping is restricted to 50% capacity, he said.
Play structures and covered picnic areas remain off limits.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 2:43 PM.
