BOISE, Idaho — The City of Boise will begin implementing the initial phase of Mayor Lauren McClean's reopening plan and that has some recreational amenities returning in Boise.
The Boise Parks & Recreation Department begins phase one on Monday and it will include opening Warm Springs Golf course on a limited basis and turning the wave at the whitewater park back on.
"Phase one is great because you can stand up surf and kayak surf," said Mikki Fritz, who does both. "I love it, it is a safe place to try new tricks."
The whitewater park is interesting because wave technicians can control the wave and during the stay-at-home order, they engineered it so there was no wave.
However, the newest addition to the whitewater park are two natural features that kayakers have been playing in; Fritz tells us social distancing in a kayak isn't very hard.
"It's a lot easier in a kayak, but stand up surfing is definitely possible," said Fritz.
Warm Springs golf course has also had an interesting story when the pandemic first hit the city closed the public course but reopened it after a response from the community.
However, social distancing didn't work very well and the city reverted to closing the course.
This time around the social distancing guidelines remain, the clubhouse is closed, golfers will need to pay for their round either online, or on the phone, there are no cart rentals and more protective measures are being put into place.
"You don't have to touch the stick when you get your ball out," said Doug Holloway, the Boise Parks & Rec director. "We have elevated the cups, so that makes that easy, ball washers have been removed from the course, there really is no opportunity to have any contact."
If people don't follow the social distancing guidelines the Parks & Rec department has shown the public they will close down their facilities, the best example is the chain-link fence that is currently surrounding Rhodes Skate Park.
"If some of that distancing isn't adhered to, users know that there is a possibility that it could be closed," said Holloway. "Any of the decisions we make could go backward depending on what happens with the COVID-19 virus as we move forward."
There is no timeline for the different phases and Holloway told us it's a fluid situation that depends on various factors as the city looks to start reopening recreational opportunities.
Here is a link to the five different phases and what the city plans to open on each phase, they announced on Friday that public outdoor pools would be closed this summer.
