<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585599711340.jpeg" alt="The Salina Municipal Golf Course. Salina Post photo" />
 <figcaption>The Salina Municipal Golf Course. Salina Post photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Effective
today, the City of Salina has temporarily closed the Salina Municipal
Golf Course in conjunction with the statewide Stay in Place Order now in place
until amended or rescinded. “This is a regrettable, but necessary decision,”
said City Manager Mike Schrage. “Many important factors went in to this
decision.”The
decision to temporarily close the golf course included the following reasons:The
City of Salina has placed a high priority on two areas when making management
decisions: 1) the safety and security of its employees, and, 2) delivering the
highest level of service to citizens in its core services that include police,
fire/ems, water, sewage, and waste collection along with basic care and
maintenance of facilities and grounds open to the general public. Many
surfaces at the golf course are plastic, vinyl, or metal including golf cart
surfaces, benches and ball washers, which are believed to harbor the virus
longer than some other surfaces.Lower
staffing levels in response to the stay-at-home order required prioritization of
services and facilities to be supported, and the golf course provides service
to a limited segment of our community in comparison to functions that have been
given higher priority.“This
was a difficult decision to make,” said Schrage, “but under
these unprecedented times we are choosing to keep our community and employees
as safe as possible and be responsible with the limited financial resources in
which we are entrusted.” He said his limited parks staff will be focused on
publicly accessible parks and trails that do not require a fee to participate.
Virtually all recreational programs for the city have been suspended during the
stay in place order. The
City of Salina will continually monitor the local and state guidelines for
gatherings and will reopen the course when health safety concerns are relaxed
and there are adequate staff to fully provide the highest level of service golfers
expect.&nbsp;

City temporarily closes Salina Municipal Golf Course