Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard announced that Carmel City Hall closed to the public Tuesday, March 24, 2020, until further notice. City business will continue online resources or over the phone. Public meetings will take place under the guidance of Governor Eric Holcomb’s Executive Order 20-09.
Brainard
“It is unfortunate that we have to take these drastic measures to protect our residents, businesses and our city employees. I do want to emphasize that only the building is closed, the business of the city continues,” said Brainard. “The closure of the public facility further supports the Executive Orders I have issued regarding Staying Safe at Home, which were intended to better reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This directive also helps fulfil Governor Holcomb’s new order for Hoosiers to stay at home for a period of not less than two weeks. It is important that we continue the work of the city in as safe a way possible.”
Contractors and others conducting work with the city’s planning, zoning and engineering departments are using CityWorks to submit plans for review and other documents online. This has made this transition to online working conditions possible.
The Parks and Recreation Department has also announced the closure of the Skate Park at Central Park as of Tuesday, March 24. Access to the facility is through a common gate and the park’s size limits the amount of social distancing possible. Therefore, the parks department feels the safest decision for the community is to close the skate park until further notice. The public playgrounds and public restrooms were already closed to the public.
The Parks Department also noted that because the source of the water at Flowing Well Park is an artesian well, it cannot be turned off, but the department strongly advises against its use at this time. The communal nature of the facility increases the risk of possible infection.
During these difficult times, please be sure to stay in contact with friends and family through social media, video chatting and regular phone calls. There are resources online at the City’s COVID-19 website.
“The best thing for you and your family to do is to Stay Safe at Home,” added Brainard. “I know many of you are struggling with job losses and businesses closing. The state and federal governments are quickly developing financial resources to help and we will add links to those as they become available as well. We will get through this together.”