Montrose Recreation District provides more than school lunches during Covid-19
By Mari Steinbach
As parks and recreation professionals, many of us have a tendency to get into routines, move fluidly from season to season, and focus on the people we serve and the importance of what we do. Over the past several years, we have had the good fortune of thriving population booms, high demand for services, and mostly growing resources that enable participants to demand programs and facilities. Talk about a shock to our systems! When the global coronavirus pandemic slammed us in March, we were forced to shut down programs and facilities literally overnight. Of course, many departments struggled with what to do. We are used to making micro-adjustments to operations. Doing full-on shifts and pivots has had a remarkable impact and presented challenges among staff members, services, financial resources, and more.
The staff members of the Montrose Recreation District (MRD) in Montrose, Colo., were no different. This district—a separate governmental entity of about 500 square miles—serves approximately 44,000 residents on the Western Slope of Colorado, and owns and operates an 80,000-square-foot community recreation center, a 20,000-square-foot field house and outdoor pool, and three parks/athletic complexes. Just as in many agencies with large facilities, we are used to people streaming through our doors just because we opened them. Residents come in early and stay late to get their fun and fitness fixes; youth walk over after school to play, with parents often joining them after work; participants take swim lessons, have team practice, and enroll in aquatic fitness classes; free swims keep the pools splashing during open hours; drop-in sports play and leagues keep the action going from before the sun rises until late into the evenings.