Now that the province is in phase two of the re-opening process, the Portage Regional Recreation Authority is opening up some local facilities.

Rotary Republic of Manitobah Park opened to the public on May 27 and Stride Place will be doing so on June 8.

PRRA general manager Angie Shindle says Republic Park has hand sanitizer stations set up at all of the baseball diamond and all of the soccer fields as well. She adds they have a plethora of signs reminding everyone to follow social distancing guidelines at all times.

She says when it comes to sporting events and leagues, those competing must follow what that specific sport’s provincial group is calling for.

Shindle talks about what the opening of Stride Place will look like.

“Monday, we open our fitness centre at 5:35 a.m., by appointment only,” says Shindle. “We will have the reception office open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. but other than that the Viterra Fitness Centre is the only part of the facility that will be open for this phase. We are gradually opening up the facility with the new guidelines in place.”

Shindle describes some of the adjustments they’ve had to make regarding the fitness centre.

“We are open to members only at this moment,” says Shindle. “People can still call in and purchase a membership over the phone if they want to start using (the facility), but we are just limiting drop-ins at this time. So, what happens is you have to pre-book the workout time and they are hour long slots. There’s a maximum of 15 people per booking block and in between those booking blocks we have 30 minutes of sanitation.”

She notes they have expanded the fitness area to accommodate social distancing measures and they have disinfectant wipes to clean machines after use.