The state of California has determined to keep playgrounds open during the Regional Stay-at-Home Order. Santa Barbara County and the City of Goleta are aligning with this decision. The City’s playgrounds, skate park, and fitness stations reopened on October 9 after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know the community has enjoyed having these outdoor recreational opportunities available to them, and we are pleased that we can continue to keep them open.

It is important that everyone using the facilities follows COVID-19 safety guidelines. Please watch our short video to learn more. The video is also available in Spanish here.

The park facility guidelines put in place in October remain the same:

• Everyone two years old and older must wear a face covering that goes over their mouth and nose.
• Maintain physical distance of six feet between individuals from different households and prevent crowding of children.
  • Do not use the playground, skate park, or fitness stations when different households are unable to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet on play structures, swings, and other playground equipment.
• No food or drink are permitted on the playground, skate park, or fitness stations.
• Wash or sanitize your hands before and after your visit.
• Visit a playground at different times or days to avoid crowds and waits (peak hours tend to be weekday afternoons and weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
  • To avoid crowding and allow everyone to use this space, please limit your visit to 30 minutes when others are waiting.
• Elderly individuals and people with underlying medical conditions should avoid playgrounds when others are present.
• Organized group activities that include people outside of your household are not permitted and should not use the playground.
• Users of the skate park at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park must comply with all of the new guidelines and the safety guidelines that were in affect prior to COVID-19, which include wearing a helmet and safety pads.
• Park facilities (playgrounds, skate park, fitness stations) are open during regular park hours: 8:00 a.m. to sunset, seven days a week.

The City’s outdoor recreation facilities will not be supervised, so we are relying on the community to abide by the guidelines above.

Your safety is important to us. Playgrounds and fitness stations will be cleaned three times per week. Please make sure every member of your group washes their hands or uses hand sanitizer before and after each playground visit since it is not possible to clean all playgrounds surfaced between each user. In addition to bringing face coverings with you, it is a good idea to bring hand sanitizer and/or disinfecting wipes.

Thank you for complying with these guidelines in order to keep the facilities open. For questions, please contact Parks & Recreation Manager JoAnne Plummer at jplummer@cityofgoleta.org or (805) 562-5505

Pictured: Playground and skate park at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park in Old Town Goleta