Councilperson Jeanine Redlinger

The Riverside City Council is in no hurry to reopen City Hall to public traffic.

The council decided at its Monday meeting to construct a public lobby, which will be easier to keep clean and sanitized.

The target date for reopening to the public – July 1. The timeline will be discussed at the June 1 council meeting.

Mayor Allen Schneider said locking down City Hall since March has shown that residents can still do business with the city without putting the staff at risk.

“What we have seen so far is that operating in this manner hasn’t really kept us from doing business that needs to be done,” Schneider said. “People still have lots of ways to get in contact with us during the day.”

The staff has continued working in City Hall, but the doors have been locked since mid-March. Gov. Kim Reynolds last week announced an easing of restrictions on businesses, including government agencies.

City Administrator Christine Yancey called the plan a “soft, steady and slow opening.”

Her proposal: a new entry way with glass doors and a reception window for talking with the staff. The cost will be about $3,000.

“Every time someone comes in, we have to totally disinfect the area,” Yancey said.

Yancey will present her plan for the secure lobby to the council at the June 1 meeting.

“I think what is important is that you are comfortable with it,” Councilperson Jeanine Redlinger said.

Yancey has been meeting with her counterparts in Washington County to discuss reopening government services. The idea is to have cities coordinate with similar plans throughout the county.

Camp Highland, which provides summer activities for youth in the Highland school district, will be another victim of the pandemic. Yancey said she was told by the Washington County YMCA, which runs the program, that the summer program will be canceled for the year.

City Clerk Becky LaRoche said the city still has not received instructions from the governor to reopen city parks.