First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, in a resolution dated Thursday, declared the Darien High School campus open for traffic and use of sports fields, along with baseball and softball fields at town parks and schools, as well as playgrounds in town.
And it’s all effective immediately.
The resolution specifically mentioned the use of “athletic fields, amenities and playgrounds at Darien High School and all Darien schools,” as well as “baseball and softball fields at Town Hall, McGuane Park, Baker Park, Cherry Lawn Park, as well as batting cages at McGuane Park.”
“There is a need to make use of these facilities for various purposes,” Stevenson said in the resolution, emailed to news organizations Friday morning. She cited Darien High School graduation events, a need for students to return items at the end of the school year and a parade of fire trucks scheduled for Saturday, May 30 (which would use the high school parking lots as a staging area).
Under the authority given to chief executive officers of towns during state-declared emergencies, Stevenson was allowed to declare an emergency for the town and did so. On April 8, citing that authority, she shut down down the facilities she just reopened, 20 days later.
In the meantime, the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases has slowed, testing for COVID-19 has increased and hospitals are in better shape to handle COVID-19 patients. Stevenson’s resolution only cited the desire to for the town to use the various campuses, particularly at the high school.
In a tweet this morning, Stevenson said:
“By lifting the local order, the Darien Public Schools will have full responsibility for managing the use of their facilities and to make sure those uses are in harmony with the Governor’s Executive Orders and ReOpen guidelines.”