As the City of Idaho Falls prepares to enter Phase 3 of the Governor’s Idaho Rebounds plan, the Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Department is excited to announce that City playgrounds, skate parks, and shelters will be open to the public starting Saturday, May 30^th.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Parks & Recreations closed facilities in order to maintain public safety back in March.  Following guidance from health officials and the Governor’s phased plan for reopening Idaho, the department is now prepared to reopen these areas back to public use.

“Through the COVID-19 pandemic, our employees have been tracking national trends, talking with regional officials, and following industry standard in order to develop a safe plan for us to open our park amenities to the people of Idaho Falls again,” said Parks and Recreation Director PJ Holm. “Our parks have been well used during this pandemic, so I’m excited to see people out using playgrounds and other facilities again. I hope it will provide some more comfort to everyone in these hard times.” 

To maintain the safety of these areas, parks employees will be disinfecting them once a day. However, users are still asked to follow the guidelines from the Idaho Rebounds plan. These include:

• No groups of more than 50 until Phase 4 begins
• Users should maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet
• People should remember to cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing, and wash their hands often

For more information about city playgrounds or the skate park, or to rent a shelter, please visit ifrec.org, or follow us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/IFParksandRecreation.   Residents can also visit www.ifrec.org and sign up for the department’s weekly e-mail for future information about parks facilities and programs. 

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Media Note: For more information or to schedule an interview with city staff, please contact City of Idaho Falls Public Information Officer Bud Cranor at 208-612-8306.