A man uses a walk-up window to conduct business at Ark City City Hall Monday morning. Several city office buildings in Ark City and Winfield have been closed to the public in some fashion due to COVID-19 concerns. (Staff photo by Brady Bauman)
Several city offices for Winfield and Ark City are adjusting ways the pubic can access them due to coronavirus concerns, effective today.
“During these uncertain times, the public needs to know that they will have safe and reliable utilities for sanitation/recycling, water, sewer, electric and natural gas and many other services including fire, ambulance, police, cemetery, parks, permitting…the list of services we provide goes on and on,” Winfield City Manager Taggart Wall said in a statement Friday. “The City and all the services we offer are taking appropriate measures to keep our employees and community safe, healthy, and prepared. With that long-term safety in mind, we are making some changes to the access of our facilities to be part of the solution to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
The City of Ark City announced similar protocols on its Facebook page Saturday.
“To maintain employee health and help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) locally, the City of Arkansas City will close City Hall to the public starting Monday,” the post said. “This closure will be for a minimum of two weeks and will be re-evaluated in early April.”
All services out of the City of Winfield City Hall (200 E. 9th) and Winfield Operations Center (2701 E. 9th) remain operational, however, beginning today and extending through April 3, these buildings will be closed to walk-in traffic.
Staff will deliver services using phone, email, or other electronic methods. There will be some scheduling of appointments for services that cannot otherwise be handled through the aforementioned methods.
All parks and open spaces, including Quail Ridge Golf Course remain open, but the City of Winfield encourages residents and visitors to follow all health recommendations including safe social distancing methods and to refrain from using parks or trails if you are sick for any reason.
The Winfield Fire Department will be closed to the public walk-in traffic March 23-April 3.
The lobby of the WPD will remain open. VIN inspections and fingerprinting will be suspended March 23-April 3.
Arkansas City Municipal Court has already been suspended for the next two weeks. Critical services such as Fire-EMS, police, sanitation, water, wastewater and other services will continue uninterrupted. All other City of Ark City facilities, including the Senior Center, will remain closed to the public indefinitely.
More information on city office closings/schedule changes can be viewed via the respective Facebook links above for the City of Winfield and the City of Ark City.
