North Dam Park bathrooms closed, park open

The bathrooms at North Dam Park are closed, but the park itself is open.

Commissioners for the Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District voted to close the bathrooms at North Dam Park during an April 8 meeting held via Zoom, the video conferencing app frequently being used during the social distancing of the coronavirus pandemic.

The park itself is still open.

Other projects the group is interested in pursuing, such as bringing swimming lessons to Spring Canyon, as well as installing an electric vehicle charging station at North Dam Park, are at a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a moot point in this environment,” CAPRD Chairman Kevin Portch said. “Maybe in early August-ish.”

The topic of money was also briefly touched upon.

“I’m a little concerned about money, especially going into next year,” Treasurer Bob Valen said, “because hotel/lodging tax is probably going to be in the toilet with this coronavirus.”

The lodging tax is collected by cities from hotels and campgrounds, and some contributions to CAPRD are made out of those funds.