PARKS & REGULATIONS
Metroparks begin reopenings with adjustments; no beach decision yet
With Memorial Day — and the unofficial start of summer — one week away, facilities at Macomb County’s two Metroparks are beginning to reopen for the season.
While precautions forced by the COVID-19 health crisis are slowly being lifted, some of the parks’ most popular events such as the Fourth of July fireworks displays and outdoor music concerts have been cancelled.
Adjustments continue to be made to the schedule for both Lake St. Clair and Stony Creek Metroparks in response to the coronavirus crisis.
“These changes are necessary to help everyone stay safe and health while providing the broadest access to Metroparks facilities,” Huron-Clinton Metroparks officials said in a news release.
A park spokesman at Lake St. Clair Metropark in Harrison Township on Sunday said a decision has not yet been made on whether the beaches will be open. The beaches traditionally open for the season near Memorial Day, but the 59-degree water temperature for Lake St. Clair makes swimming in the lake a moot point for now.
Changes include...
• This past Friday, the
park authority began resuming normal tolling operations and a daily $10 admission will be charged to parkgoers seven days a week. The fee had been waived for some days of the week earlier this spring
• To avoid overcrowding, attendance will be limited to 60% of the park’s normal capacity. Park staff will periodically monitor parking lot capacity to decide whether or not to limit or attendance
• Pools and splash pads are planned to open later this summer, possibly in mid-June. The delay will accommodate repair projects that couldn’t be made previously due to the governor’s stay-home executive order as well as safety training for lifeguards
• Access to lakes and rivers remains open. Any watercraft normally permitted on lakes such as canoes, kayaks, motorboats and sailboats will be allowed, but the parks’ boat rental areas are still closed
• Restrooms are being reopened but availability will be depend on the staff’s ability to restock toilet paper, soap and disinfecting supplies. The use of face masks is encouraged in restrooms where keeping six feet of space may be difficult
• The annual fireworks and summer concerts through July 4 have been cancelled. Park officials say those events traditionally attract large crowds that make social distancing difficult
• Programs at interpretative parks are scheduled to restart June 16 but park offices remain closed.
Lake St. Clair Metropark, located at 31300 Metro Parkway in Harrison Township, is open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Stony Creek Metropark, 4300 Main Park Road (off 26 Mile, west of Mound Road), Shelby Township, is open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. (gates close at 9 p.m.)