By Chris Brown & Scott Roblin

Safety is up to the public

Physical distancing needed at playgrounds when they open this week

May 26, 2020 | 12:20 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Even though play structures and skate parks around the city will open on Friday, physical distancing remains the key word.

Merrick Brown, the city’s director of emergency management, said the public must be responsible and that physical distancing guidelines remain.

“This is on the public and the users of this,” said Brown. “This is where that critical, responsible decision making really comes into play. You asked us to do this, now I’m asking you to be responsible with this process.”

He said maintaining the safety of the structures is up to the users themselves.

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Acknowledging the speed and level of the South Saskatchewan River over the weekend, Brown reminded Hatters the flood preparation work is being done out of an abundance of caution.

He said the river flowed at 950 cubic metres per second over the weekend and has now dropped close to 740. During the flood in 2013 the river was flowing at more than 5,000 cubic metres per second.

“There was a lot of precipitation upstream, it filled up a bunch of the reservoirs, they released some of the reservoirs that came down our way, now the water is decreasing,” said Brown.

Construction of temporary measures began at Industrial Avenue this weekend and will move to the Harlow area this week.

Mayor Ted Clugston told reporters at Tuesday’s weekly press conference with the city that there aren’t any concerns that those water levels will reach a critical stage in the near future.

“I’m not sensing that anxiety this year because we’re prepared and ready if something should happen,” said Clugston.

There have been no direct orders from the city asking residents to stay off the river, however it’s something that Brown is recommending this spring.

“The flow rates are high, so it’s a good idea to obviously stay off the river at this point… even the fact that there’s quite a bit of debris coming down right now,” said Brown. “We haven’t actually had any official releases come out per se regarding staying off the river, however it’s a good idea to stay off the river at this point.”

Clugston also issued a challenge to Hatters about summer plans and making staying at home in Medicine Hat more fun.

“If there’s an idea you have about camping in the city or something along that line or what you’d like to see, please forward it to us,” he said, adding the city has some of their own they will be sharing.