Community Update from Town Manager Christopher Bromson 7/16/2020
Playgrounds
Beginning Friday, July 17, the Town will commence a phased reopening of playgrounds. The following playgrounds will be open to the public tomorrow:
• Rotary Playground, Enfield Central Library
• Alcorn School Playground
• Brainerd Park Playground
We will make a weekly determination based on current data on opening further playgrounds. Use playgrounds at your own risk. Playground equipment is NOT being sanitized. Please maintain social distancing to keep our children safe.
Enfield Express
The Enfield Express is open daily from 9 to 5 for tax services. Watch our website for expanded services in the upcoming weeks! The Town Hall continues to be open by appointment only. If you need to conduct your business in person, please call the department you wish to schedule your visit in advance.
Library
The Enfield Public Library is open to the public. Due to the guidelines from the State, all patrons and staff are expected to wear masks, plexiglass has been installed at all of the public service desks and social distancing reminders are posted throughout the library. The Pearl St. Library is available by appointment only.
A Take and Make craft was made available to children as part of our Summer Reading Program on Tuesday, more than 90 kids came, many of them new faces who have not attended our programming before. We held a Blanket Bingo on the lawn last Friday and had a great turnout. Due to the popularity of the program, we have scheduled a second Blanket Bingo for 8/12. Hampstead Stage Company will be doing an online production of Alice in Wonderland on 7/22. We will be showing the movie Shrek on the lawn on Friday, 7/31 at 9:00 PM. The annual Tie Dye program will be held for kids on August 5th. Our virtual story times will continue throughout the summer. Our Otherworldly Worlds Science Fiction Book Club will be meeting in person outdoor this month.
Senior Center
While we are waiting for the State to provide guidance on how Senior Centers can operate in the Reopen Connecticut plan, we have developed a number of programs that can be done safely from home.
We have ongoing “Take It and Make It” programs where crafts are available for curbside pickup. This week we are creating handmade greeting cards. The Senior Center is starting a Pen Pal program with 2 local Girl Scout troops. Seniors who register for this program will receive monthly correspondence from a local Girl Scout.
We are currently coordinating our Ask the Realtor, Legal Consultation and Ask the Lawyer programs so that participants can get answers to their questions over the phone. We have partnered with Bay Path Occupational Therapy students so that seniors can participate in Tele-Health programs about exercise, nutrition, occupational therapy, and mindfulness exercises. A Virtual Dementia Caregivers group affiliated with Hartford Health is available 4 times per week. Harford Healthcare will be providing a 4-week Health Brain series throughout July.
We continue to offer recreational and cultural programming online. Every Tuesday morning, we are hosting Scattergories on Zoom. On Thursday mornings we hold a Virtual Coffee Hour on Facebook. Zumba classes are available virtually every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Tuesday, 7/21, we are partnering with Friendship Tours to present a performance by singer Michael D’Amore via Zoom.
Grab and Go meals, provided by CRT, have been ongoing. People can pick up meals for an entire week every Monday. Our Medical Equipment Loan program continues to operate. All equipment is sterilized and quarantined prior to being distributed.
Recreation
Daily swim sessions are being held at the Angelo Lamagna Activity Center Pool in three, two-hour sessions. For Enfield residents only, the pool is open 12:00 – 7:00 PM, Sunday-Saturday. The Youth Center has begun taking participants to the pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Residents are strongly encouraged to register in advance to reserve their space as capacity in the pool areas is limited. For complete details and to register, visit the Recreation homepage.
The Dolphins Stroke Clinic began this week at the newly renovated Enfield Annex Pool.
Registration information for new programs, including Skyhawks Sports Camps, Pre-school Martial Arts Clinic, Babysitter Safety Course, Field Hockey Camp, and Adult Self Defense came out earlier this week. All classes will be held in the month of August. Pre-registration is required, and spaces will be limited.
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Our staff and I are available to assist you and will continue to provide services. Please continue to check our website for updates. For alerts from the Town of Enfield, please go to https://enfield-ct.gov/List.aspx to sign up for Notify Me and select Public Notices. Follow Enfield Town Manager on Facebook and on Twitter.