City Manager Alan Carson has announced a reopening plan for City of Thomasville administrative buildings and facilities. The City Administrative Building and other facilities closed to the general public in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These facilities will reopen on Monday, July 13, 2020 – the day after Georgia’s Public Health State of Emergency is set to expire.
“Throughout the pandemic, our City of Thomasville staff have continued to work through very challenging circumstances in order to continue meeting the needs of our community,” said Carson. “Closing our buildings and facilities was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary to protect the health and safety of our customers and our staff. While we know this situation has been difficult for many, we are appreciative of the patience our customers have shown, and we look forward to serving them face to face again very soon.”
Carson said that all City buildings will reopen with new, enhanced safety and social distancing measures in place. “During our initial reopening, we may have some different procedures in place from what our customers are used to, but these changes are necessary to maintain a safe environment for all,” he said.
For the Administrative Building, customers are encouraged to schedule an appointment for assistance with their accounts. “We will initially have limited seating available in our lobby, so making an appointment will allow us to better accommodate customers who need to visit with us to manage their account,” said Sheryl Sealy, Executive Director for Marketing and Customer Services. “Customers are also encouraged to wear a mask, and we will also require temperature screenings before entering our buildings.”
Meetings of citizen boards will also resume after Monday, July 13th. “Our goal is to return these very important boards to a regular meeting schedule,” said Carson. “However, we must continue to observe social distancing in order to remain in compliance with the Governor’s Executive Orders. Meeting dates and locations will be announced on Thomasville.org when scheduled.”
Utility disconnections for non-payment will resume on August 1, 2020. Late fees and penalties for non-payment will also be assessed after August 1st. “We know this has been a tremendously difficult time for our community, and we are pleased that we were able to work with our customers to suspend utility disconnections for the last four months,” said Sealy. “As we move toward resuming our regular operating procedures, we are committed to continuing to work with our customers.” Sealy said that customers with an outstanding balance will be contacted directly to discuss payment arrangements. “Customers are also welcome to call our office to make a payment on their account or to discuss establishing a payment arrangement,” she said. “Customers are welcome to visit us after July 13th to discuss their accounts or they may call us at 227-7001 for assistance.”
Other operational updates that were announced include:
- City of Thomasville playground equipment in public parks will reopen by Monday, June 22nd. Park-goers are encouraged to observe enhanced sanitation measures, including the use of disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer before utilizing equipment.
- Park reservations will resume Monday, June 22nd for gatherings of groups of less than 50. All social distancing measures outlined in Governor Brian Kemp’s Executive Orders must be observed. Special event permit requests will also resume on June 22nd.
- Merchandise sales in Country Oaks Golf Course will resume on Monday, June 22nd, with continued social distancing measures in place.
- Recycling centers will reopen on Monday, June 22nd for aluminum/metal cans and cardboard only. Please pay special attention to signage in the recycling area to limit contamination of recyclable material. Recycling of plastic material will remain suspended until further notice.
- Rental applications for the Municipal Auditorium and the Ritz Amphitheater will resume for dates after July 13th. Implementation and adherence to all requirements for live performance venues as outlined in the Governor’s Executive Orders must be followed by any group or individual renting the facilities.
“We want to thank our customers and our community for the incredible amount of cooperation we have received throughout the COVID-19 crisis,” said Carson. “Thomasville has proven to be a resilient community, and we are looking forward to transitioning our service to our regular operations.”