Petrolia says municipally owned parks will be open for limited use.

The province is slowly reopening the province after eight weeks of lock down to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Here are the guidelines for Petrolia Parks.

As per the Provincial order, municipally owned parks will retain the current guidelines, which include:

• Playground equipment will remain unavailable at this time
• Residents are asked to use park areas (such as Victoria Park, Moncrieff Park, and the open area of Woodland Park) to walk through
• Bridgeview Park North and South remain closed at this time, by request of the Municipality, so that work may continue on the wetlands project, trail maintenance, and to give the grass time to grow and provide an opportunity for the trees to take root.  The food truck remains available in the parking lot of Bridgeview South, but residents are asked to take their food home to enjoy as there is no picnic area or washrooms available at this time.  Work continues to take place as quickly as possible to open this area to the public.
• Residents will notice that there is a section of Bridgeview Park South along the edge of Little Lake, across the dam, and around the far side that is available for walking.  Residents that choose to make use of this area are asked to maintain physical distance and avoid gathering.  For resident safety, the guardrails are in place on the dam.

Private Parks, for example, Lorne C. Henderson Conservation Area, is permitted for use as per St. Clair Conservation Area regulations, but residents are reminded that there are no washroom facilities available at this time.

Petrolia Tennis Courts at Mary Beach Park will open on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 as per the provincial guidelines.  The following court rules will apply to use of the facility at this time:

• Residents MUST always maintain physical distancing – single play only – No doubles matches are permitted
• If courts are in use, please wait outside the fenced play area
• There are no washrooms or drinking fountain currently available
• It is suggested that you bring your own small bottle of hand sanitizer, and water
• Please do you part to keep our park clean and use the waste receptacles provided
• The area will be monitored, and adjustments will be made as needed by the Town of Petrolia to comply with provincial orders

Sports Fields including those at Kerr Park, Bridgeview North, and Greenwood Park, are permitted to open for use as per the Provincial guidelines for individual or single competitors, including training and sport competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization are permitted. This includes indoor and outdoor non-team sport competitions that can be played while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators, such as tennis, and track and field.

Softball, hardball, and soccer are not permitted under the current guidelines as they do not fall into the list of activities for individual or single competitors.     

The Off-Leash Dog Park in Bridgeview Park North is permitted for use by the Provincial guidelines, but it is currently part of a cleanup and maintenance project that includes nature trails, that staff hope to have finished soon to make it available to residents once again. 

The recreational dock will also be installed soon so that individuals may launch a canoe or kayak from Bridgeview Park North.  The dates for these services will be available soon.  Residents are reminded that the Petrolia Discovery remains closed to the public at this time.

Physical distancing requirements of six feet or two metres remain in place, and gatherings of five or less are required. Residents are reminded that you can join our e-mail list for instant updates by sending an e-mail to Laurissa at lellsworth@petrolia.ca.  Staff are available to answer your questions at (519)882-2350 or by e-mail.