It’s the height of summer, but your community has been hesitating over one vital part of summer living: opening its condo amenities. Residents are clamoring to open the pool, but the board is hesitating. It’s a tough decision and must be made in accordance with the guidelines in your area. The board needs to be creative in how they reopen not only their condo’s pool but also the gym, tennis courts, and clubhouse.

We spoke to condos and HOAs in Florida, Indiana, California, Rhode Island, and New Jersey to see how they opened and are planning to open their amenities. They are all following their state’s guidelines around social gatherings and social distancing, and your condo must do the same.

Pools

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that “there is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds.”

However, if people are standing close to each other and throwing a ball around in a pool COVID-19 could be transmitted. The same is true if someone swallows water and then spits it up, someone nearby could catch coronavirus from them. Then, the poolside is very sociable and people are sitting close together or passing each other often. The CAI did a survey of 2,200 communities across the USA and found that 40% of pools are closed.

The most creative pool reopening we heard about was from Wolf Lake HOA in Indiana. They limited their pool hours and divide the pool area to allow social distancing. So families must stay in their designated spots when they’re not in the pool. They also have to bring their own pool chairs. Finally, the pool is closed for an hour in the afternoon for staff to disinfect the area. In Florida, Bella Villino condo has also opened its pool and hot tub with restrictions. Whereas Admiral’s Walk in New Jersey has not opened its pool and has no plans to do so.

If your community wants to open the most summer-centric condo amenity, then why not try something similar? Remove all common chairs, and limit the number of people allowed in. Monitor how long they’re allowed to be there, and increase cleaning. You should also take people’s temperatures before they’re allowed in.

Gyms 

Gyms might be the most complicated condo amenity to open. Since the equipment is normally placed close together. People are also constantly moving around and touching the same machines and weights.

One solution would be removing or roping off every second machine so that no one can be too close together. When deciding on scheduling, you should make sure that everyone gets a chance to use the gym if they want to. You could only allow residents to book a gym session once a week or something similar so that everyone can go. Having a website and portal can help you organize reservations. Cleaning also needs to be increased, preferably each resident should clean the equipment they used. The gym should also be properly cleaned once or twice a day.

Cloister del Mar condo, in Boca Raton, Florida has restricted gym use to one household at a time and asked them to clean before and after. The 903 Residences in Rhode Island has also opened their fitness center with reduced capacity and time limits. In New Jersey, the condo Admiral’s Walk is keeping the gym closed but may open based on the guidelines. They plan to use their software, Neigbrs by Vinteum to control gym reservations.

Tennis courts

Tennis seems like a safe game to play during the pandemic. Players stay at either end of the court and don’t require contact. They also shouldn’t run into another court if they lose their ball but instead remain in their court throughout the game. Any residents who want to play should also bring hand sanitizer and try not to touch their faces. The board also needs to consider if they will allow residents to invite guests to play. The United States Tennis Association chairman recommends that players bring two cans of balls and only touch the balls that have their number on to be extra safe.

Playing tennis in doubles is riskier if people are from different households. This is a risk that California HOA Swallows Nest has foreseen, and they limited tennis to singles only. As an extra precaution, they also rented a sanitation station outside the courts.

If your condo normally rents tennis balls and rackets to residents, this service should either be paused. Otherwise, equipment should be disinfected after every use to reduce the risk of contamination.

Clubhouses

Clubhouses are normally used for events, which are not allowed in many states, meaning that many are closed. However, if limited social gatherings are allowed then you could re-open the clubhouse.

You would have to consider how many people are allowed by square foot and limit the number of people accordingly. It may be useful to ask the resident renting the clubhouse to sign a form agreeing to limit the number of guests. As well as to clean up after so that staff don’t have to come in to contact with dirty plates or any trash. You might also ask guests to sign forms saying that they haven’t come in to contact with anyone who has coronavirus. Alternatively, you could measure the temperature of everyone who arrives. This would allow you to count the number of guests to ensure that the renter is respecting the limit.

Wolf Lake has added a small fee to cover the cost of disinfecting their clubhouse after each event. They’re also limiting the number of people to maintain social distancing.

Software for Condo Amenities

If your local and state guidelines allow it, then the board can creatively reopen your condo amenities. The board must communicate the new rules to residents clearly. Having a website or portal is helpful to get the word out to all residents quickly and efficiently. The board should also be clear that they can still close all amenities again if the situation gets worse or the rules aren’t respected.

Software can also allow residents to reserve amenities, which helps you to organize who is using what and when. You can include how often they’re allowed to book and when it’s closed. You can also include terms and conditions so that residents know what they’re agreeing to. This ensures less confusion for residents and the board.

To learn more about Neigbrs by Vinteum and how we can improve safety, communication and management in your community association, book your free demo.