‘Beyond excited’ Lexington senior center, government buildings will reopen June 11.
Most Lexington government offices will open on June 11 after being closed since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, city officials announced Thursday.
Those closed offices include the city’s main downtown campus and the main police station on Main Street. All will reopen to the public on June 11.
Some city services won’t operate. Others, including the city’s pools, have limited hours, said Mayor Linda Gorton at a press conference Thursday announcing the city’s return to pre-pandemic operations. The city has struggled to find enough lifeguards to staff all the pools this summer.
Global Lex, which serves the city’s international community, will remain closed to the public. The Versailles Road building must address its ventilation system before reopening, Gorton said.
Restricted visitation will resume at the Lexington Detention Center on Sunday.
“We will be gradually open up our visitation policy,” said Fayette County Detention Center Director Lisa Farmer. At first, inmates will be limited to one visit per inmate per week. That policy will be reviewed in the fall to determine if the visitor number can increase, Farmer said.
The detention center has to limit the number of people going in and out of the building for safety reasons, Farmer said.
Masks will not be required but are recommended for the unvaccinated visiting any city building, Gorton said.
“It will be based on the honor system,” Gorton said.
Gorton said she is also not requiring the city’s more than 3,000 employees to be vaccinated.
Some employees may remain virtual or work from home, Gorton said. That will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council will not resume in-person meetings until June 15, the first meeting after June 11.
Gorton also announced Thursday the Lexington Senior Center in Idle Hour Park will open its doors on June 11.
Gorton’s announcement comes on the heels of Gov. Andy Beshear’s Tuesday announcement that the state’s 195 senior centers can reopen at 100 capacity because 80 percent of Kentucky’s adult population 65 and older has been vaccinated.
In Fayette County, the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers show 82.7 percent of residents 65 and older have been fully vaccinated.
The Lexington Senior Center has long been one of the city’s busiest buildings. Offering fitness and education classes, card games, bingo and meals, the new senior center was bustling the day it opened in 2016. The $13 million senior center replaced the former cramped senior center on the corner of Nicholasville Road and Alumni Drive.
Within two months of opening in 2016, new memberships skyrocketed, hitting more than 1,000.
Over the past 14 months, the senior center has offered some programs, including fitness programs, via LexTV, the city’s television station.
But virtual programs, although important, don’t offer the in-person connection that people crave, Gorton said.
“Our seniors have missed their friends at the senior center,” said Gorton.
Kristy Stambaugh, the director of aging and disability services for the city, said her clients “are beyond excited” for the center to reopen.
Stambaugh said there will still be social distancing requirements and a reduction in some class sizes. “In time, as things prove safe, we will be able to add more,” Stambaugh said.
Stambaugh said the virtual fitness classes on LexTV will continue after the senior center opens.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 11:57 AM.
