FAIRHOPE – The Fairhope pier and public beaches were closed Sunday as the latest effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The Fairhope City Council had voted Monday, March 16 to close City Hall and other public buildings, but left municipal park areas, including the pier and beaches, open. City officials left the Mobile Bay waterfront area open after Gov. Kay Ivey ordered Gulf beaches in Alabama closed on Thursday.
On Sunday, March 22, Mayor Karin Wilson issued a statement that the pier and beaches would be closed at the end of the day.
“The city cannot afford the liability of even the optics of not taking precautionary measures during this crisis as taxpayers are the ones who pay the price,” she said in the statement.
City officials had left open park areas to allow residents to have a place for recreational activities while schools were closed, and many people were home from work. Wilson said most residents have used the areas responsibly.
“Fairhope has been carefully monitoring the pier, beaches and parks since the State of Alabama ordered the closure of Gulf Coast beaches,” she said. The Fairhope Police Department has been continually checking the traffic and crowds at all properties reporting everyone being responsible. Most appear to be families and couples. The decision to leave these properties open was made with the intention of keeping a healthy option open for citizens to get fresh air and sense of freedom while maintaining their distance.”
Wilson said Sunday that she had asked Police Chief Stephanie Hollinghead to close the street leading to the pier and beaches at 5 p.m. and having all people off the waterfront by 7 p.m.
She said the final decision on the beaches would be up to the City Council. At press time, the council was scheduled to vote on the closing at the 6 p.m. meeting on March 23.
“I support their decision either way because it was inevitable that closures happen eventually,” Wilson said.
In an emergency meeting on March 16, the council voted to close City Hall and other public buildings. City operations have continued and employees are still at work with business being conducted through drive through windows, drop boxes as well as by mail and telephone.
One issue at the March 16 meeting was whether other committee meetings, such as the Fairhope Planning Commission, would continue.
Hunter Simmons, Fairhope planning and zoning manager, said the meetings often draw large crowds that would exceed the limit of 25 for public gatherings.
Councilman Jimmy Conyers said that since the law does not allow the meetings to be closed, the only alternative would be the cancel the meetings.
“There’s no exception to the open meetings act, so there’s no way to block the public from coming to those things,” he said. “You have it and let them come, but encourage them not to or you don’t have it at all. Right now, I would say don’t have it. Just in light of everything else we’re looking at, better safe than sorry.”
Councilman Jay Robinson asked Simmons to prepare a resolution to present to the council for a vote on cancelling Planning Commission and other meetings during the outbreak.
