Town closes parks’ amenities, Gilbert Regional Park

Gilbert, Gilbert Parks, Gilbert Regional Park, coronavirus — Gilbert Regional Park will be closed beginning 8 a.m. March 28 and other town parks will have their amenities closed because of the coronavirus situation. (Tom Blodgett/Community Impact Newspaper)

Gilbert Regional Park will be closed beginning 8 a.m. March 28 and other town parks will have their amenities closed because of the coronavirus situation. (Tom Blodgett/Community Impact Newspaper)

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By Tom Blodgett | 1:10 PM Mar 27, 2020 MST | Updated 1:10 PM Mar 27, 2020 MST

The town of Gilbert announced March 27 that it is closing the amenities in its public parks, plus all of Gilbert Regional Park, because of the coronavirus situation.

The closure takes effect at 8 a.m. March 28 but does not affect the open spaces, trails and restrooms.

“This was not an easy decision,” Mayor Jenn Daniels wrote in a post to her Facebook page. “We know how important these amenities are to our residents. With more testing, more cases, more needs for town resources (i.e. cleaning supplies) and the difficulties of maintaining the CDC recommended 6 ft. distance on a play structure/skate park/basketball game—we made this judgement call. Thank you in advance for your understanding during this unprecedented time.”

The list of what will be closed includes:

playgrounds

Freestone Skate Park

fenced dog areas at Crossroads and Cosmo parks

splash pads

basketball courts

volleyball courts

all of Gilbert Regional Park

drinking fountains

The parks’ trails, walking paths, restrooms and open spaces will be open from 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. with physical distancing still urged.

Daniels had acknowledged in two previous video updates that she was receiving many emails from people wondering why the parks were not closed with so many people not practicing physical distancing there. Daniels said it was the No. 1 concern people had brought to her.

By Tom Blodgett

Raised in Arizona, Tom Blodgett has spent 30 years in journalism in Arizona and is the editor of the Gilbert edition of Community Impact Newspaper. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he now serves as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet.