News: Summer 2020 Program & Facility Updates

Summer 2020 Updates & Notes

While Summer 2020 will not look like summers of the past, the staff of the Canton Parks & Recreation Department have been working hard to make sure that we are still able to offer as many opportunities as possible to the families in Canton. Please see the information below that we currently have available on what to expect this summer – although things may change again, we are hopeful that the plans we have in place will allow us to offer as close to a normal summer as we safely can. If additional changes are made, they will be communicated through the Canton Parks & Recreation website (www.cantonrec.org).
 
 
Day Camps:

Our Explorers Day Camp will be back from June 22-August 21! Camp will still be held at Mills Pond Park, with a rain location of the Canton Community Center; camp hours this year will be 9:00am-4:00pm. Camp will have a maximum of 30 campers per week. Groups will have a maximum of 10 campers, will have scheduled recreational activities, crafts, lunch, pool and bathroom times, and the groups will not be intermingling with each other. We will be reserving the pavilion area and playground on weekdays solely for camp. State guidelines for pre-screening staff and campers will be applied each day, and staff will wear face coverings when working directly with children. Increased cleaning and disinfecting, especially of high-touch surfaces and items, will be taking place throughout the day, as will increased hand washing and sanitizing. No off-site field trips will be taking place this year.
 
Tiny Tots Preschool Camp will be back from June 22-August 21^st as well! Camp will be held at the Canton Community Center; camp hours this year will be 9:00am-12:30pm. Camp will have a maximum of 10 campers per week. State guidelines for pre-screening staff and campers will be applied each day, and staff will wear face coverings when working directly with children. Increased cleaning and disinfecting, especially of high-touch surfaces and items, will be taking place throughout the day, as will increased hand washing and sanitizing.
 
Teen Adventure Camp will be cancelled this year.
 
Virtual Camp will be available as an alternative for families who want their children engaged with other campers while doing camp activities and crafts, but may not feel comfortable sending their child to an in-person program. More information will be available on www.cantonrec.org
 
All staff and parents/guardians of campers will be required to sign a consent form before participating in any in-person camp program this year.


Sports, Enrichment & Specialty Camps:

Times for many of these programs are being slightly amended. Some dates or camp maximums may be changing as well, based on the type of activity that is to be taking place and the availability of rain/inclement weather locations. Please see each camp program for updated details. State guidelines for pre-screening staff and campers will be applied each day, and staff will wear face coverings when working directly with children. Increased cleaning and disinfecting, especially of high-touch surfaces and items, will be taking place throughout the day, as will increased hand washing and sanitizing.
 
All staff and parents/guardians of campers will be required to sign a consent form before participating in any in-person camp program this year.


Mills Pond Pool:
 
Mills Pond Pool is scheduled to open for the season on Monday, June 29th; the wading pool will not be open this year. State guidelines for pre-screening staff will be applied each day, and staff will wear face coverings when not in the lifeguard chair. Increased cleaning and disinfecting, especially of high-touch surfaces and items, will be taking place throughout the day, as will increased hand washing and sanitizing for the staff.
 
Swimming lessons will begin on July 6th, and will only be offered for the following levels: Parent/Child, Preschool, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. To limit contact between participants and instructors, a guardian/parent will be required to be in the water with their child at all times. Swim level 3 may be the only exception to this requirement - swimmers will need to be able to swim the width of the pool unassisted. Please note, for level 3 parents will need to be in the water for the back stroke/float portion of lessons on select days. The lessons will continue to be taught by Red Cross Water Safety Instructors (WSI). Additional training will be provided to instructors on how to maintain social distance while effectively instructing students. The lessons will be capped to a maximum of 2-3 students. There will be 2 class session times on weekdays. Staff is still working to determine what Saturday lessons may look like.
 
Dusky Dolphins Swim Team will be modified to be more of a stroke clinic than a traditional team structure this year. A stroke clinic format will allow for proper social distancing, while still enabling participants to be part of a team. The pool membership requirement will be waived this year. A fully detailed plan will be available as we move forward.
 
Lap swim will continue to be offered by request during regular public pool sessions. Only one lane will be open with a maximum of one swimmer in the lane at one time. Lap swim will be limited to 35 minutes during busier time to allow for a rotation of people. All lap swimmers will be asked to sign in for a timeslot on a sheet located at the front desk. Swimmers will be able to check the list for their lap swim time.
 
Public swim will be divided into three 2-hour periods; weekdays 1:30-3:30pm; 3:45-5:45pm; and 6:00-8:00pm and weekends 1:00-3:00pm, 3:15-5:15pm and 5:30-7:30pm. To ensure proper social distancing and safety, there will be a predetermined number of patrons allowed on the pool deck per time period; registration per time period will need to be completed online on www.cantonrec.org – no walk-ups will be allowed. Patrons who will not be swimming, but there to watch their child will also need to register for the day. The maximum capacity will include the entire facility, not just the pool. Each swim session will allow this maximum number of patrons, and will close once the maximum has been reached. At the end of each time block, patrons will promptly leave so staff can thoroughly clean the facility. Patrons will need to bring their own chairs, towels, goggles, etc. None of these items will be provided or available for use this year. Patrons should wear cloth masks or covering when 6 feet distance cannot be maintained within parties. Masks will not be required while in water, but 6 feet distances must be strictly maintained. Additional signage will be posted at the facility & will need to be followed by patrons.
 
Community members will be encouraged to continue to purchase pool memberships. This year there will be a particular incentive in purchasing a pool membership. Pass holders will be able to register for a public swim session 24 hours prior to the session. Any spots not claimed by members will be available for the general public to purchase online the morning of the session.
 
Mills Pond Pool will be cashless this year at the snack bar as well. Snack Dollars will need to be purchased through www.cantonrec.org. They will be automatically applied to your household account once the snack dollar purchase has been completed, and can be used to purchase the pre-packaged food and drink items for sale at Mills Pond Pool. More information will be available as we get closer to the summer.
 
First Aid/CPR, Lifeguard Training and Water Safety Instructor courses are postponed indefinitely.

To view a full list of pool updates and information click HERE. 

Facilities

The Canton Community Center will not be available for room reservations from 8:30am-4:30pm on weekdays during the summer so that we are able to reserve rooms for rain/inclement weather spaces for our campers.
 
The tennis courts and skate park at Mills Pond Park are currently open - please continue to practice social distancing when using those facilities. The basketball courts remain closed – a decision on that space will be made as we get additional guidance from the state.
 
Pool and pavilion rentals at Mills Pond Park will not be accepted at this time, until more details are received from the state with guidance on reopening phases in regards to group gatherings.
 
 
Special Events:
 
All special events this summer have been canceled at this time (Summer Concert Series, Dive-In Movie Night, Teen Night at the Pool, Summer Movie in the Park, Sundae FUN-Day). If anything changes, we will promote any special events options.


Fitness Classes:

At this time, all fitness programming will remain online. In-person fitness classes will not resume until at least Fall 2020.
 
 
Looking Forward:

Canton Parks & Recreation Department staff will continue to follow updates & guidance from the state regarding summer programming and future programming. Please check www.cantonrec.org often for updates, or create an account & sign up for general information email blasts if you have not already done so. We will share relevant program & facility information as it becomes available. We remain hopeful that we will be able to offer as many in-person programs as possible in the Fall, and will be ready to get those up and running once we determine that it is safe to do so.
 
Thank you for your continued understanding and support of the Canton Parks & Recreation Department! We are excited to spend the summer with you!