After more than four months of closure, the city of Marthasville will allow local organizations and residents to once again rent park facilities for events.
Marthasville had been the last holdout …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous wesbite, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
After more than four months of closure, the city of Marthasville will allow local organizations and residents to once again rent park facilities for events.
Marthasville had been the last holdout among local towns that closed their parks during the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. While others began reopening their facilities along with a statewide reopening in June, Marthasville’s Board of Aldermen voted for two months to take a wait-and-see approach to observe how COVID cases developed in the area.
It wasn’t until Aug. 19 that aldermen voted 4-0 to once again allow events at Marthasville’s park pavilions. What moved them to that decision was an appeal from a local church.
Representatives of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ spoke to aldermen Aug. 19 to ask for permission to host a car show at the downtown Marthasville City Park on Sept. 12.
Church member Dudley Adkins said this would be the third year for St. Paul’s car show.
“(The car shows) are to get contributions for the church, which we’re in need of right now because people haven’t been coming to church,” Adkins explained. “Second, one of the goals of the church is outreach to the community. ... Get the community more involved in activities, and get the church out.”
Adkins added that a number of health precautions are being planned, and that signs at the event will advise visitors to wear masks, spread out and sanitize frequently.
Mayor David Lange strongly advised aldermen that if they were to approve the church’s request, they should allow a complete reopening of the city’s parks. On Lange’s mind were two Concert in the Park events, co-sponsored by the Marthasville Area Chamber of Commerce, which were canceled this summer because of the park closure.
“We have other groups, other events and other things that are going on,” Lange said. “If you do (open the pavilions), you need to be fair and open it up to any and all groups.”
Lange said the city could also provide sanitation guidelines for any groups using park facilities.
West Ward Alderman Chris DeVore repeated support that he has previously expressed for opening the city parks.
“There’s plenty of room down there for people to spread out. If people want to have an event, I don’t really see anything wrong with it,” DeVore said. “It’s not necessarily our responsibility for people to distance themselves. If they want to go and feel comfortable, that’s up to them.”
