Photos by Scott McCloskey A groundskeeper cuts the grass at Wheeling Park this week as plans are being made to reopen.

WHEELING — Even as Wheeling Park grounds crews continue to maintain the facility with the summer season just weeks away, Operations Manager Nat Goudy said they are still in a “holding pattern” with reopening most of the park’s amenities.

While golf continues to be the only activity at the park currently available to the public with social distancing rules in effect, plans still have not been made for reopening areas like the swimming pool, playground, miniature golf and boating until they can be done safely based on federal, state and local health department guidelines, according to Goudy.

“All of our activities are closed right now, other than golf. Golf is still open because the social distancing there is still in effect,” he said, as they only permit one person per cart unless it is family members. Although, Goudy said people are still stopping to take daily walks through the park.

“We are cutting the grass and still prepping the activity areas, but we still don’t know if it will happen or what the guidelines will be — or what the social distancing policy will be,” Goudy commented, while talking about plans for reopening further activities at the park. “We would love to be open for the summer, but we want everyone to be safe and feel safe who comes out here. So that’s our primary concern, the safety of our guests and our employees. … Right now we are just in a holding pattern.”

Goudy said they continue to move forward with maintaining the facility while moving closer to the summer season.

He said he listens to Gov. Jim Justice’s daily press briefings and checks regularly on national and local guidelines being put in place as things slowly begin to reopen around the state and county.

The Ohio County Mobile Command Center and tents are still set up in one corner of the facility’s large parking lot to accommodate Wheeling Hospital’s off-site COVID-19 drive-thru testing center.

The testing site is not for the general public — only for people with symptoms of COVID-19. The area is blocked off with orange traffic cones.

In addition to grounds crews out and about in different areas of the park, Goudy said contractor Minnesota Ice is expected to begin construction on a new ice rink next to the White Palace in the coming weeks.

Earlier this year, the Wheeling Park commission announced plans for a $1.3 million dollar renovation that will transform the Wheeling Park Memorial Ice Rink into a state-of-the-art ice complex and multipurpose community facility. The facility is expected to reopen this fall.

“We’re just waiting for them (Minnesota Ice) them to come in and bring in their supplies and their team members,” Goudy explained.