The City of Castlegar will be closing more of its public buildings beginning March 19.
City Hall, the Civic Works office, Fire Hall reception and the Community Forum will all be closed to the public until further notice.
“With the COVID-19 situation quickly evolving, the city’s top priorities are the health of our staff and community and keeping essential city services operating to minimize the impact on residents and businesses,” said the city in a media statement.
The city is reassuring residents that emergency response, water and sewer treatment, maintenance, waste management and West Kootenay Regional Airport operations will not be affected.
“During this time, we will be working diligently from remote locations to ensure residents continue to receive the services they expect from the city,” said the statement.
Many of the city’s services are available through the city’s website and staff will be available at their regular phone and email addresses.
The city’s general phone line (250-365-7227) will be staffed as usual from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and accepting voice messages during and after-hours. General inquiries can be sent to info@castlegar.ca any time.
Many other community facilities are now closed to the public, including the Castlegar & District Community Complex (including Castlegar Senior’s Centre), Pioneer Arena and the Castlegar & District Library.
In addition to ongoing planning by the city, Castlegar’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been officially activated, as of noon on today, with the declaration of a provincial state of emergency.
The purpose of the EOC is to monitor escalating situations, coordinate with other agencies, ensure the city’s essential services remain operational, gather and share current and official information, and support the community.