as of April 7

County lake beaches remain open for now

Posted 4/8/20

Wood County commissioners had planned to discuss closing the public beaches at the county’s four lakes Tuesday.

But instead they held a closed session and took no action afterward.

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as of April 7

County lake beaches remain open for now

Posted

Wood County commissioners had planned to discuss closing the public beaches at the county’s four lakes Tuesday.

But instead they held a closed session and took no action afterward.

The reason cited for the closed session was pending or contemplated litigation.

While stay-at-home orders do not restrict citizens from getting their exercise, physical distancing is stressed.

The issue of closing off public spaces has resulted in a variety of debates around the country.

For example, one town in Georgia closed its beaches only to have the state’s governor reopen them.

Locally, park equipment has been closed off, as keeping it sanitized regularly is difficult. But open spaces, such as the Mineola Nature Preserve, remain open.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. moved to close all state parks on Tuesday.

It stated: “Despite the implementation of increasingly restrictive visitor use measures to help minimize the transmission of COVID-19 at parks, TPWD has reached a point where public safety considerations of those in the parks, and in the surrounding communities, must take precedence over continued operations.”