Folsom City Manager Elaine Andersen issued a fourth Emergency Order on May 1, 2020 to support local businesses and residents facing challenges due to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. In the interest of balancing the efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and the public’s needs for greater recreational opportunities, the Emergency Order also allows for the reopening of selected non-contact recreational facilities and amenities.
As part of the ongoing response to slow the transmission of COVID-19, the Sacramento County Public Health Officer announced the extension of the stay-at-home Public Health Order starting 11:59 p.m. May 1, 2020 through 11:59 p.m. May 22, 2020.
The County Public Health Order requires residents to continue to stay at home as much as possible and socially distance from others to slow the transmission of COVID-19.
The Order loosened certain restrictions on non-contact recreational activities, such as tennis, archery, disc golf, and boating. Contact sports or activities, including basketball, football, and soccer, are still prohibited outside of residences.
Folsom City Manager Elaine Andersen today announced the reopening of selected City of Folsom recreational amenities that provide the community with non-contact, healthy recreational opportunities that allow for safe social distancing. Beginning Saturday, May 2, 2020, the following City of Folsom recreational amenities will reopen to the public, provided that the six-foot social distancing requirements are adhered to.
- Playgrounds and play equipment
- FIDO Field Dog Park
- Tennis, bocce ball, pickleball, and volleyball courts (two-on-two volleyball games only)
- Andy Morin Sports Complex – Only non-contact sports or recreational activities are authorized, such as pickleball, table tennis, and batting cages. (Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, until further notice. Masks or cloth face coverings required to enter. Visitors must use personal equipment and are strongly encouraged to disinfect the equipment prior to use).
- Ball walls
- B.T. Collins disc golf course
- Skate park (open 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, until further notice)
- Bike park will open mid-May, following scheduled maintenance
- Athletic fields. Only non-contact sports or recreational activities are authorized. No structured or organized practices, games, trainings, coaching, or team/league sports groups are permitted.
Parks and equipment users are asked to take personal responsibility for sanitizing sports and recreation equipment before and after use. Masks or cloth face coverings are strongly advised when six-foot social distancing cannot be maintained. Masks or face cloth coverings must be worn at all times at the Andy Morin Sports Complex.
Signage will be prominently posted around parks to remind the public to comply with social distancing practices. City parks, trails, pavilions, and barbeques remain open if the public adheres to social distancing requirements.
The city will continue its park patrol program to help educate people in parks about social distancing requirements. Park patrol staff are circulating through every park several times each day, seven days a week, and are available to answer questions and to assist with compliance of the Sacramento County Public Health Orders.
For questions about allowable park usage, contact the Folsom Parks & Recreation Department at PRDept@folsom.ca.us or 916-461-6676. Parks & Recreation representatives will respond as quickly as possible.
To support local businesses and economic development, Emergency Order DES-04-20:
- Waives provisions in the Folsom Municipal Code and allows the use of temporary signage—such as A-frame, window signs, or banner signs—for business advertisement and promotion, as long as signs do not interfere with public rights-of-way.
- Suspends business license, permitting requirements and fees for home occupation, which is defined in the Folsom Municipal Code as any business-related use by a resident within a residence or accessory structure to the residence that is secondary to the residential use and does not change the residential character of the surrounding neighborhood.
- Temporarily waives rental payments for rental or lease of city facilities under a formal written lease agreement or concessionaire agreement due and payable to the city.
- Increases the local contract preference to 25 percent when the city is evaluating bids for supplies, equipment, and services.
- Requires public works projects in the public rights-of-way— including construction and maintenance— to take place outside of regular business hours when feasible, to minimize disruption to commercial and business operations.
- Allows for the temporary use of city-owned non-ADA public parking spaces for curbside restaurant food and retail merchandise pick-up from essential businesses. These city-owned, non-ADA public parking spaces will be available to other Folsom businesses and retailers when the Sacramento County Health Officer allows their operation.
- Allows city-owned public properties – such as outdoor plazas, closed streets and public parking spaces – to be used temporarily for outdoor dining, once sit-down dining is permitted by the Sacramento County Health Officer. Restaurants must obtain a temporary permit from the Community Development Department and follow requirements outlined in the Emergency Order.
- Suspends the Folsom Municipal Code rules on the frequency of garage sales. Six-foot social distancing must be maintained at all times, except for people in the same household.
The emergency order will remain in effect until termination of the local emergency by the Folsom City Council.
On April 30, 2020, the City of Folsom sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting that the governor allow individual counties autonomy in reopening non-essential businesses while following deliberative and safe guidelines. Similar to many small- to mid-size cities, the City of Folsom is experiencing significant economic challenges due to the public health emergency, which will adversely impact the city’s ability to provide essential public services. The letter formally requests the governor establish a city revenue stabilization fund; allocate a share of the State’s CARES Act funding to cities with populations under 500,000; and create a COVID-19 financing vehicle to support immediate cash flow needs. Read the City of Folsom’s letter to Governor Gavin Newsom.
Read the full Public Health Order Extension through May 22 on Sacramento County’s website. For information about Sacramento County COVID-19 cases and public health directives, visit covid19.SacCounty.net. To learn more about the City of Folsom’s response to slow the spread of COVID-19, and for the latest information about the status of City of Folsom programs, events, and facilities, visit www.folsom.ca.us/covid-19.
