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While the Village of Lansing continues to keep its parks and playgrounds closed, the Town of Lansing is cautiously reopening it's parks and recreation programs. Town parks have remained open throughout the lockdown, but bathrooms and playgrounds have only recently opened. Parks & Recreation Supervisor Patrick Tyrrell said Wednesday that a limited selection of summer recreation programs are also being offered.

"There has been quite a demand and a lot of phone calls and emails to our department to have some summer camps," Tyrrell said. "Some directors or counselors don't feel comfortable having those. We understand that, so we're working through our list and seeing who would like to hold camp and who would not like to hold camp, and going from there. The list is going to be shorter than normal, but we are going to have some camps."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Sunday that low-risk youth sports for regions in phase three of reopening can begin on July 6th with up to two spectators allowed per child. Monday he added that gatherings of up to 25 people would be allowed in regions that qualify for Phase 3 of reopening.  Tyrrell notes camps are treated differently, with pods of 10 kids in each pod.  The day camp sessions each have room for 50 kids, so up to five pods.

Tyrrell said that between disinfecting bathrooms and playground equipment and paperwork needed to be allowed to keep the park facilities open and to offer programs, his staff has been kept busy. He said he is looking at foggers, and more than likely will go with a hand held sprayer.

"We’re trying to clean them four times a day," he said. "They have to be disinfected with soap and water. Also we use a bleach solution on things that are touched numerous times — handrails, benches, things like that. We’re doing our best. Our staff is very overworked, obviously, with bathrooms and playgrounds now. The mountains of paperwork we have to do for the Health Department is really exhausting at this point, because we are trying to have summer camps as well."

Summer programs already listed are The School before Hogwarts Summer Camp; seven sessions of Horse Riding Summer Camp Session; Summer Football Training Camp; five sessions of Summer Day Camp @ Myers Park; two sessions of Total Baseball Summer Camp (Ages 13-16); two sessions of Co Ed-Total Baseball Summer Camp; and 13-17U Game Play only: Total Baseball.

"It's all online (on the Parks and Recreation Department Web Site)," Tyrrell said. "We keep adding to that daily, so whatever comes up that day, we put the registration up that day."

Tyrrell told board members that attendance at the park is up. While Lansing residentas use the town park for free, non-residents are charged an entry fee. Park staff collected $6,000 in entry fees during the Memorial Day weekend.

"We took in almost $6 grand, which I think is probably a record high for us," he reported. "I don't remember any other weekends that big. Obviously we are charging a little bit more admission at the front, and we're doing a better job tracking who is a Lansing resident and who is not. So we're getting those people who are not Lansing residents to pay, which is helping out as well."

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