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Swampscott’s Park League, recreation will be ‘socially distant’ this summer
By David Mclellan | June 5, 2020
SWAMPSCOTT — Social distancing, smaller groups, masks, and clean bathrooms are necessary to make sure Swampscott’s 2020 recreational programming stays in line with COVID-19 guidelines, but town staff are working hard to make sure it will still be fun.
A “socially distant Park League” will be held in Swampscott this summer, starting July 6 and ending Aug. 14, with weekly sessions.
According to Swampscott Recreation Director Danielle Strauss, two to four park locations will be selected with designated park supervisors, and groups of 11 children, plus a counselor, will be allowed to gather and enjoy the “same activities and energetic staff” the Recreation Department has offered in the past, “just a little more spread out.”
Three groups of 11 — so 33 children — will be allowed at each location, Strauss said.
“There have been a lot of questions about if we are able to do Park League,” Strauss said. “Well, we are, but it’s not going to look like Park League in the past with 150 people running around… groups are going to be smaller.”
Strauss said a price of $100 per participant for a week will make sure the program is level-funded. If it rains and events are canceled, families will be refunded, she said.
In addition, Swampscott’s Recreation Department will hold a number of clinics for youth and adults, including outdoor youth lacrosse, basketball, and soccer; adult outdoor yoga, fitness, and Zumba/”bootcamp”; and weekly paddle boarding, art and science, and middle school “positivity” workshops.
These programs will also not start before July 6, to give staff time to prepare, Strauss said. It’s been difficult to prepare, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff having to take things such as bathroom cleanliness into consideration — bathrooms will receive a “deep clean” each day, Strauss said.
Both staff and participants will have their temperatures checked each day, Strauss said. Masks will also be required. Surveys will also go out to provide feedback about how the programs are working.
“With these things we have to really wrap our head around it. We have to talk about every aspect of this, because these are our kids,” Strauss said.
In addition, the Swampscott Farmers Market will open July 5. According to Strauss, vendors will be limited to 15, with each tent 12 feet apart, and each vendor will have “double tables” in front of their stand to ensure social distancing.
The number of shoppers allowed at the farmers market will also be limited, to 90, and clear entry and exit points will be marked at the farmers market on Elmwood Road.
“Pedestrian traffic will be one-way in a clockwise direction marked by spray paint to ensure no crisscrossing within the market,” Strauss said. “We know that this is going to be difficult… we will be telling people as they enter the market they will have to stand on one side. If you miss somebody, you will have to wait and go back around.”
Gathering at the market will also be discouraged because no music or consumption of food and coffee will be allowed. No samples or on-site tasting will be allowed, and there will be no tablecloths or reusable bags. Customers also will not be allowed to touch produce before purchase, Strauss said.
For more information, and to register for the Recreation Department’s programs, visit www.swampscottma.myrec.com.