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Peters Township officials address going ‘green’

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 4 min read
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In the context of COVID-19, going “green” has taken on a whole new meaning, and Peters Township officials spent a considerable amount of time at the latest council meeting reviewing the next phase of Pennsylvania’s reopening plan.

In advance of the “green” designation, which went into effect June 5 for Washington County, township manager Paul Lauer discussed changes that represent somewhat of a return to normalcy.

Peters Township Public Library started curbside service for borrowed materials during the final week of May, in anticipation of the building being able to allow members of the public inside again.

“We are going to ask employees to wear masks and do social distancing,” Lauer said, and although patrons are encouraged to follow suit, the practice will not be mandatory. “I just think that would be problematic for the employees to attempt to enforce.”

The sizes of gatherings will remain limited, and because of the proximity of participants, one-on-one tutoring is not going to be allowed at first. With regard to circulated materials, safety precautions are being taken.

“When books are taken out and then returned, the books are going to sit for three days before they’re shelved. That’s exactly what’s happening right now,” Lauer said. “But what you’re not going to be able to do is to disinfect the book as someone takes it out, looks at it and says, no, I’m not going to read this one.”

The “green” phase permits youth, club and recreational sports resume, and the township parks and recreation department has planned accordingly.

“We’ve been in touch with the baseball and soccer associations to provide them the guidance that we have for the state,” Lauer said, along with information from Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, an organization that in part provides technical assistance to governmental entities.

In turn, the local sports groups are being asked to develop plans to proceed with activities safely, to be submitted to township officials for review.

“Quite honestly, I think we’ll get far more buy-in from the athletic associations if it’s something that they feel they have ownership of,” Lauer told council. “The fact of the matter is, on a day-to-day basis when those kids are out in the park, they’re under the supervision of the coaches. And you really are depending on the coaches to do the right thing.”

As per the “green” designation, the township’s Community Recreation Center is opening again, with programs to be conducted on a limited basis, and furloughed parks and recreation department employees are returning to work. Also reopening are parks, playgrounds and related amenities, including public restrooms.

The Peters Township Municipal Building again will be accessible to the public, including township employees.

“We’re going to begin to phase out work from home. I’ve been very impressed with what people have been able to accomplish, but there’s real value to us all being in this building,” Lauer said. “And the fact of the matter is the building is large enough, and there’s enough separation and spaces, that I don’t believe that to be a problem.”

During the period of restrictions related to COVID-19, council has been meeting in its designated space at the municipal building with accommodations for social distancing and participants wearing masks. Going forward, the latter will be optional.

The council chamber has a maximum occupancy of 67, and maintaining proper distancing would mean top attendance by far fewer people. Council members discussed what might happen if an issue on an agenda draws an especially large contingent of residents to express their opinions.

“I think what you would do in that circumstance is make a determination of how many people you would feel comfortable with being in this room, and you would give people a chance to speak,” Lauer told council. “And when they were done, you would have a ‘holding area,’ and you’d allow somebody else to come in, so that you could maintain the capacity of the room.”

Council plans to continue its policy, implemented in the wake of COVID-19, of accepting written comments pertaining to nonagenda items and allowing residents attending meetings to address agenda items in person.

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