Farmington, Prairie Grove Offices Close To The Public

FARMINGTON -- Farmington, Prairie Grove and Lincoln city offices closed to the public last week to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and to take additional precautions to protect employees and the public.

Lincoln

In Lincoln, the city had already basically locked down its offices to restrict access at the Water Department to only two people at a time in the small front lobby, said Mayor Doug Hutchens. He noted city staff are behind a window and are keeping the counter and window sanitized.

However, on Thursday, Hutchens said he decided to go ahead and close the office to the public, in light of other city and county offices closing throughout the state.

Lincoln Public Library also is closed to the public but is providing story time through Facebook Live.

Farmington

In a letter to the citizens of Farmington last week, Mayor Ernie Penn said the City Hall lobby would remain closed to the public until Monday, March 30. Closing City Hall means that all public meetings will be canceled, Penn said.

Monday, Penn said he would decide by the end of the week whether to extend the closing.

Farmington Planning Commission had been scheduled to meet Monday, March 23 but that meeting has been canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

"In this time of uncertainty the City will continue to provide services to our citizens," Penn said. "We are closely monitoring information from the CDC and taking steps to provide for our community."

Penn said the city would take the temperatures of city employees, including first responders, and any employee exhibiting symptoms of the covid-19 virus would be sent home. Penn asked citizens to notify dispatch if they are experiencing symptoms of the virus: fever, cough or shortness of breath.

"The health and safety of the citizens and employees of the City of Farmington is of the utmost importance to us," Penn said in his letter to citizens. "We will provide additional updates as they are available."

Farmington Senior Activity and Wellness Center is providing drive-through service for lunch and Meals on Wheels is continuing as usual. Farmington Public Library is closed now for an expansion project. Penn also said public restrooms at city parks have been closed for the time being.

Prairie Grove

The city of Prairie Grove posted its own announcement on the city's Facebook page.

"We regret to have to further distance ourselves from our citizens in this time of uncertainty, but we are taking additional precautions to keep our employees AND the public safe by further restricting access to our offices and services," the announcement said.

The city of Prairie Grove is restricting normal access to City Hall. City officials may have face-to-face meetings on a limited basis but if they do, they will practice social distancing of 6 feet, said Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works.

The Water Department closed its office and closed its drive-through service. Payments can be made in the night box, electronically or by calling the office at 846-2961 or 846-2960. If anyone needs help, residents can call these numbers.

Anyone who needs trash bags or wants to purchase trash carts, can call the office and pay electronically. The items will be delivered to the homes.

Employees will continue to work during this time in the office and will be available to take calls and answer questions.

Prairie Grove Senior Activity and Wellness Center will continue to provide drive-through service and provide meals to homebound clients.

Prairie Grove Public Library is closed to customers but for now is offering curbside service. Patrons can call and if the library has the book in-house, patrons can come to the library and a staff member will bring the book to the vehicle. Library staff is providing story time through Facebook Live.

General News on 03/25/2020