The organizers of public events across the state and country are in a bit of a holding pattern as COVID-19 infection rates and restrictions continue to drop but uncertainty continues.
On March 25, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey repealed many of the restrictions he imposed by executive orders earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in his order was a repeal of his requirement that events or gatherings of 50 people needed special approval of local governments. These events, he said, should continue to follow safe practices and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, including physical distancing.
However, municipalities can still regulate the size of events on city-owned property such as those operated by the Sedona Parks and Recreation Department.
“Right now we’re limiting events to 150 people,” Recreation Coordinator Ali Baxter said. “We were given the green light to move forward but were asked to move forward with caution. The governor’s mandate opens things so we [the city] no longer regulate anything off of city property. But anything on city property, we’re still allowed to mandate. Regardless of any mandates, we still set capacities for any of our facilities.”
Events off city-owned property still need to obtain a conditional use permit from the city but attendance at those events are not limited to 150.
The plan as of now, through spring and into the summer for the parks department include the following:
■ Rentals for city-owned facilities like the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub, recreation room, pavilion and ramadas are also limited to 150. But as of this week, they have not received any rental requests of more than 50 people.
■ In March, Parks and Rec hosted the Sedona Stumble Run, which Baxter felt was very successful and participants were very appreciative and followed all safety protocols. “It turned our very, very well,” she said. “I was just so impressed with people’s receptiveness to the rules.”
■ While the spring concert series at the pavilion has not been set, what is on the calendar for May 21 is a singular concert from 5 to 7 p.m. It, too, will be limited to the first 150 people, which is slightly higher than the average concert attendance prior to the pandemic.
■ The Red Rock Rumble, hosted by Run Flagstaff, will be held on Saturday, May 22, at Posse Grounds Park after originally being scheduled for Red Rock State Park.
■ The community pool will reopen May 29 through Labor Day weekend. Online reservations will continue to be required with a limited number of people on the pool deck at any given time.
■ The Sedona Mountain Bike Academy Camp is set for Monday to Friday, June 7 to 11, and the British Soccer Camp is slated for Monday to Friday, June 21 to 25.
■ On Independence Day, Sunday, July 4, traditional water slides have been canceled at the pool, but there will be a free event at the pool with a DJ and food. Online registration will be required for time slots with limited capacity.
“We’re taking baby steps and we’ll see where we go from there,” Baxter said. “We’re remaining cautiously optimistic. Let’s start slow, see how things go and move on from there.
“As a department we will continue to watch COVID trends, stay up-to-date on best practices across the state, and continue to work closely with upper management to make sound decisions,” she said. “Public safety is our No. 1 priority and we will continue to loosen restrictions as safety concerns decline.”
The adult softball league has been canceled for this summer. Baxter said the city does not have the means to sanitize or ensure distancing. She said several parks departments across the state are doing the same. There will be no Little League this year in Sedona but then again, it hasn’t taken place since 2018. However, she’s hopeful youth soccer will return in the fall.
In terms of when the 150-person limit may be increased, Baxter said that has yet to be determined but the decision will be made by city officials.
“I feel our community would rather know something small is coming and give them a little something I can promise will happen versus telling them something big is coming and then have to cancel it again,” she said, in the event COVID cases spike again.
“It’s my job to plan events so I don’t want to tell you I can’t do it. I want to make things happen but I want to do it safely. That’s why this has been the hardest thing ever. It’s who I am and what I do. For the last 10 years I have sat here and planned these events. And for the last two years I’ve had to say, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not going to happen.’ I don’t like doing that but at the same time I want to keep the community safe.”
On the plus side, Baxter said this downtime due to the pandemic has given her an opportunity to reevaluate certain city events to see how they can be improved upon. This way they can come back new and fresh as opposed to simply being what they have always been.
