Roanoke will close access to its greenways and Mill Mountain starting Friday morning.
Mayor Sherman Lea said too many people were gathering in those spaces last weekend.
"We are not, as a community, on a vacation. We are a community under a stay at home order," Lea said during a Wednesday news conference.
Parks department employees and city police will monitor the closures and ask people to leave. Officials said parks will remain open and have plenty of space for people to separate and exercise. But they also warned that if crowds gather again, broader restrictions might have to be made. Lea said it was an opportunity for people to police themselves and act within the guidelines on groups and maintainng safe distance between one another.
During the news conference Wednesday, city officials also said they’re expecting a $9 million budget shortfall in the final few months of this fiscal year. And they said next year may be worse.
City Council will begin working to address that during next week’s meeting. City manager Bob Cowell said some actions, like suspending vehicle replacement orders, have already been taken.
