Playgrounds and other recreational sites can open with limits

The swings at Lefthand Valley Grange Park in Niwot remain still except for the occasional gust of wind. Yellow caution tape prevents little feet from reaching to the sky, a stark reminder of the concerns still present during the coronavirus pandemic.

Technically, playgrounds are now allowed to open, according to state of Colorado guidelines. But the reality of following the recommendations and keeping everyone safe is daunting. They include sanitizing the equipment as often as feasible, limiting visitors to no more than 10 and posting signs with rules for social distancing and other precautions.

The playground at 83rd Street and Niwot Road is the only playground actively maintained by Boulder County Parks and Open Space and there are no immediate plans to open it, according to Brent Wheeler, project coordinator for the construction of the trailhead at Left Hand Valley Grange Park. "Even if the playground or other amenity is cleaned throughout the day, it only takes one infected person to cause further spread of the virus between cleanings. The best precaution, if it opens, is for individuals to take personal responsibility, wipe before and after each use of equipment. There also is no easy way to ensure the 10 person limit without someone on site throughout the day," he said, adding that there are not enough resources to do that at this point.

Boulder County also owns Niwot Children's Park, next to Whistle Stop Park, but does not maintain it. That falls to the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and already costs $14,000 a year, all from donations and proceeds from the summer concert series next door, Rock & Rails. The NCAA doesn't have the resources to clean the elaborate playground twice a day, according to NCAA president Biff Warren. But, he said, "The alternative is to keep it closed, which doesn't feel quite right."

Warren said it may come down to putting up signs with the state's recommendations, providing sanitizer at the park, and asking visitors to clean up after themselves and their children. "I know people are anxious to get back to some semblance of normalcy," Warren said, "but we want to do so in a safe and responsible manner."

The seven-member NCAA board of directors and the four-member Park Committee are discussing, remotely, how and when to open the park. No decision has been made yet.