City announces reopening steps for city hall, library, aquatic center

The City of Hampton has released plans to reopen the Hampton Public Library, the Hampton Aquatic Center and Hampton City Hall.

City Manager Ron Dunt said that while the plans are in place, they are dependent on mandates handed down by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and will evolve as such.

The plan to reopen City Hall is broken down into three phases but has no set start date, as staff waits for a permanent glass barrier and door to be installed for added safety. Additional gloves, masks and cleaning supplies must also be procured before the plan begins.

The first phase of the City Hall plan calls for the building to be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment only in order to give staff time to sanitize before and after meetings.

Staff will be limited as determined by the city manager and will work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Employees are to wear masks while working in city hall and must have their temperatures checked prior to reporting to work. Those with temperatures above 99 degrees are to stay home for a minimum 48 hours after temperatures return to normal and those who have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 must self-isolate for 14 days.

While Phase I will reopen city hall to the public to some extent, payment via drop box, ACH and online payments will still be promoted.

With Phase II, city hall will be open with the limit of two customers at one time. No one under the age of 18 will be permitted. The City Hall will first open to high-risk customers from 9 to 10 a.m. and then the general public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In both Phase I and II, council chambers will not be open to the public and meetings will continue to be conducted via ZOOM.

Phase III will see the total reopening of city hall with regular hours and public participation at council meetings.

For the aquatic center, the water department will conduct reopening procedures although uncertainty whether or not the facility will open to the public remains. The reopening process allows the operation of the plumbing system, pumps and heaters. Chemicals will not be used unless necessary.

The library’s reopening process broken into phases as well. Phase I, which is currently in place, has staff working regular hours Monday through Friday. WiFi is available for outside use and books can be delivered via mail. While working, staff practices social distancing and sanitization.

Phase II, tentatively set to begin June 1, will open the library to the public by appointment only. A maximum five customers will be allowed upstairs with the same number allowed in the children’s department. Social distancing must be maintained and all children under the age of 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Public restrooms will not be open.

Newspapers can be read 30 minutes a day and will be kept in separate rooms. Staff will be available for scans, copies and faxes.

Additionally, no programming except for the summer reading program will be available, including story time, makerspace and the adult book club.

Phase III, targeted for mid-July, would open the library up to the public with limited number of patrons and social distancing practices enforced. Restrooms will be available with permission.

No toys, puppets or puzzles will be available and computer time will be limited to one hour.

The final phase, tentatively scheduled for August 17, would see the library offer normal operating hours to the public, the availability of all computers and a slow roll out of toys.