Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz recently announced the reopening of the Memorial Park playground and pavilions. Other summertime sports are also now in play. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine allowed for the opening of the state’s playground on June 10, the North Royalton playground was open on June 13. “I wanted to make sure it was done safely,” said Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz.

“ I know many residents have been eager to see the reopening of our Memorial Park playground and pavilions, and I am pleased to announce we are reopening those, as well as our outdoor restrooms, Saturday, June 13,” said Antoskiewicz. “Over the past few weeks, we researched various methods to allow us to reopen the park as safely as possible, and those efforts produced a product known as MicroShield 360, which is being used in other municipalities and businesses.”
According to Antoskiewicz, the product is “a clear, odorless, colorless, antimicrobial coating that is EPA registered and FDA approved and is being utilized at not only the playground but also our outdoor restrooms, pavilions, skate park, tables, and eventually our city buildings, to reduce the spread of pathogens, including COVID-19, for an entire year.” The city’s Recreation Department deep cleaned the outdoor surfaces and the coating of MicroShield 360 was applied on Friday, June 12. The coating needed to be thoroughly dry before the equipment could be used. That is why it opened on June 13.
Antoskiewicz cautions that although the coating is a good product, it is not a replacement for proper hygiene practices. “We do ask that our residents responsibly adhere to the CDC guidelines when utilizing our structures – wash hands before and after visiting the park, apply hand sanitizer frequently especially when using the playground, stay six feet away from others, stay home when ill, etc. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we diligently worked to determine the best practices for reopening our park with the community’s safety and health at the forefront,” he said. Antoskiewicz added that, “we’ll still clean, but we don’t have to do it as much as the state’s guidelines suggest, which would be every two hours. They will be cleaned daily.”
Baseball has resumed, but on a limited basis. The city’s guidelines require that no more than three diamonds will be utilized per night. Antoskiewicz said that the schedules have been made to abide by the guidelines. All recreational offerings at Memorial Park are open except the basketball courts. “No one has said anything about contact sports yet,” said Antoskiewicz.
One other event, although not recreational-related, has been changed. The shredding event that was scheduled to take place at Memorial Park had to be pushed forward to August 1. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer