UPDATE 5/5/2020

The closure of Volunteer Park Conservatory has extended and will run until further notice.

For updated information, please visit the Seattle Parks Department website at www.seattle.gov/parks.

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‍UPDATE 4/6/2020

The Conservatory's closure has been extended through May 4, 2020 following Governor Inslee's extension of the 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' order.

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Following the public announcement (below) made by the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department late on Thursday, March 12, the FOC will extend postponement of events, programs and volunteer activity until at least April 13, 2020.

For questions regarding Friends of the Conservatory programming, contact Khue Tran at khue@volunteerparkconservatory.org.

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See original post here.

From the City of Seattle's Parks and Recreation Department public announcement on March 12:

As health officials and scientists have noted, we likely had 1,100 active COVID-19 infections as of March 10 in our region. If we do not act, there could be more than 25,000 cases by early April. As you likely heard, yesterday, the State and County announced additional measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, including a prohibition of events with more than 250 people, and a prohibition on events with less than 250 people, if they don’t meet public health guidance on social distancing and hygiene. We have been working round-the-clock to assess what that guidance means for Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR).

SPR continues to be in communication with, and following the guidance of, Public Health—Seattle & King County (PHSKC), the City’s Office of Emergency Management, and Washington Department of Health regarding COVID-19.  Except for the purposes of preschool programs or hygiene services, Seattle Parks and Recreation will cancel all programming, rentals, and permitted events and will close all community centers, pools, and environmental learning centers to the public. This will take effect at 6 p.m. tomorrow, March 13, and will last until at least April 13. We will be in continued contact with public health officials to evaluate our facilities beyond this timeline.

Details on licensed school-age care programs (including before- and after-school care as well as preschool programs) will be published soon and available here: https://parkways.seattle.gov/

Please see the list below for an overview of SPR impacts, and please see the full press release at the end of this post for more details. For questions or information on refunds, please contact your local community center or pool.

**Starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 13**

TEMPORARILY CLOSED:

• Facilities: All community centers, teen life centers, pools, small craft centers, environmental learning centers, and the Amy Yee Tennis Center are closed.
• Programs: All recreation and athletic programs, including swim lessons, lap swim, youth basketball league, drop-in sports and activities, track and field programs, tennis programs, exercise classes, dance classes, art classes, and teen programs are canceled.
• Rentals: All SPR facility rentals are canceled.
• Permitted events: All permitted events are canceled.
• Specialty gardens: The Volunteer Park Conservatory, Kubota Garden, and the Japanese Garden are closed.

CURRENTLY OPEN:

• Shower program: SPR’s free shower program for Seattle Public Schools students and community members in need will continue at Delridge, Green Lake, Meadowbrook, Miller and Rainier community centers.
• Parks: All SPR parks, trails and open spaces are open (with the exception of the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Kubota Garden, and the Japanese Garden). Community members are encouraged to use our parks, but not to congregate and to follow public health guidance.

SPR staff is dedicated to supporting Healthy People, a Healthy Environment, and Strong Communities, and we are exploring ways for the community to continue to engage with us via virtual community and fitness programming during these temporary impacts. Please expect to see more information about these opportunities in the near future, and I encourage everyone to check the following resources for updates about SPR operations and facilities.

Stay informed:

Please check the following resources for updates about SPR operations and facilities:

• Seattle Parks and Recreation Website: www.seattle.gov/parks
• Seattle Parks and Recreation Blog: https://parkways.seattle.gov/
• Seattle Parks and Recreation Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SeattleParksandRecreation/
• Seattle Parks and Recreation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeattleParks
• Public Service Announcements made by the media about Seattle Parks and Recreation closures.
• Facility Voicemails:  Please call your community center or pool for updates on their outgoing voicemail message
• Facility Facebook Pages