Georgetown closes library, parks and recreation, Visitor's Center in response to coronavirus

GEORGETOWN, Texas - The City of Georgetown is closing the Georgetown Public Library, most Parks and Recreation facilities and the Visitor's Center Monday in an attempt to limit mass gatherings in response to new requirements from Williamson County.

The closures go into effect at 6 p.m. March 16 and are in place until further notice. Private gatherings at Parks and Recreation facilities with fewer than 50 people will not be required to cancel at this time.

The Georgetown Public Library will be closed through May 11. People are advised to hold onto their library materials until the library reopens. The library does not charge overdue fines. All WOW!mobile stops and outreach events are canceled through April 3, and Sun City stops are canceled through April 19.

The Recreation and Tennis centers will be closed through May 11. All athletic field rentals and practices also are canceled. Last week's cancelation of all Parks and Recreation events, programs, and activities has now been extended through May 11.

Private events expecting more than 50 people scheduled through May 11 at the Community Center, Parks Administration Community Room, Garey House, or other park pavilions are canceled. Full refunds and free rescheduling are available. For questions specific to parks and recreation facilities, people can email parks@georgetown.org. Garey Park will remain open at its regular hours.

The Georgetown City Council also has scheduled a Special Called meeting at 4 p.m. March 19 to extend the local disaster declaration until the first regular Council meeting on April 14. At this time, all regularly scheduled City Council meetings will go on as planned, though staff is working through options to hold these meetings remotely.

The public is encouraged to send written public comment by email to cs@georgetown.org and to watch the live stream of the meeting online or on the Government channel 10. Written citizen comments will be accepted up to 2:15 p.m. Tuesdays for the Workshop meetings and up to 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays for the Regular Council meetings.

The City will not be holding board and commission meetings until further notice unless they have a State statutory requirement. The boards that will continue to meet are:

Planning and Zoning Commission
Zoning Board of Adjustment (if needed)
Historic and Architectural Review Committee
Building Standards Commission (if needed)
Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation (if needed)
Georgetown Economic Enhancement Corporation (if needed)

These meetings will not be streamed, but minutes will be posted. The public is encouraged to send written public comments by email. Time-sensitive items that would have been considered by other boards will go straight to Council for a decision, says the city.

"We are doing everything we can now to prepare for the reality of confirmed cases in Georgetown and are following county, state, and national guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing large, social gatherings," Mayor Dale Ross said. "The more we can limit interactions now before Georgetown has a confirmed case, the less the virus will spread in our community. We appreciate your understanding, patience, and cooperation with these requirements."

The announcement is in response to new requirements issued by Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell limiting the number of people who can convene at a given time to 50 people or fewer through May 11. The City says it will continue to monitor the situation daily to determine whether to extend or reduce this timeframe.

The 2020 Red Poppy Festival has been rescheduled to Oct. 23-25, 2020 and the March 26 open house about the Austin Avenues Bridges project has been postponed, says the city.

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