After 14 months of closures or appointment-only visits, Columbus and Bartholomew County governments will reopen their doors to the public Monday.
“It’s time to open our buildings,” Bartholomew County commissioners Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said.
But while this represents another step closer to normalcy, county Commissioner Carl Lienhoop and Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop are urging the public to continue to take the virus seriously and follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the state.
The two elected leaders, who are cousins, emphasize that masks, social distancing, good hygiene and avoiding crowds and groups remains key to protecting the community’s health and economy.
The city will require the public to wear a mask while inside municipal facilities. County government will encourage, but not require masks.
City of Columbus
While the public will again be allowed inside Columbus City Hall, try the front entrance first. That’s because new doors are being installed at the south entrance. Columbus Police Department, on the east side of City Hall, will also be open Monday.
The Columbus Parks and Recreation building at Donner Center, will reopen Monday. Hamilton Center at 2501 Lincoln Park Drive and the Gymnastics Center at the Foundation For Youth at 405 Hope Ave. will continue to be available for use. An updated list of activities is available online at columbusparksandrec.com.
The lobby at the Columbus Utilities building at 1111 McClure Road will reopen to the public. Although city buses will continue to run , the transit department reminds riders that they will follow federal guidelines regarding a mask mandate.
Two more city departments — the Department of Public Works (City Garage) at 2250 Kreutzer Drive and the Columbus Municipal Airport offices at 4770 Ray Boll Drive — will reopen on Monday.
All Columbus fire stations will remain closed to the public. In addition, the city’s Animal Care Building at 2730 Arnold Drive and The Commons, 300 Washington St. will be closed unless an appointment is made in advance.
The city will also continue to conduct virtual meetings through May, with meetings live-streamed and available via WebEx. If Gov. Eric Holcomb’s emergency order for meetings is not extended through May, the city will return to conducting in-person meetings.
Bartholomew County
All Bartholomew County offices, including the county courthouse and the county’s general office building at Third and Franklin streets, will welcome back the public on Monday. The public is reminded that judges have the final say on what is required in their courtrooms.
Those going into the courthouse will be seeing a scanner being installed that will X-ray purses, briefcases and packages. The machine should be installed and working within a couple of weeks, county officials said.
Elected officials and department heads have been supportive of the decisions regarding the reopening of the facilities, “even when they may not have totally agreed,” Kleinhenz said.
Although county public meetings will be open, most people are still being urged to watch them through live-streaming, Bartholomew County administrator Tina Douglas said. But if someone does come to a meeting face-to-face, Douglas urges them to use precautions such as social distancing and masks.
