ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis County Parks remain closed, as businesses across Missouri are going to open on May 4 and some businesses in Franklin County will open this weekend. Only the county executive and parks director have the authority to order parks closed, but Councilman Tim Fitch wants to change that.
Fitch says he wants to change the County charter and remove the authority from the county executive and parks director, and move it over to the County Council. Then, the decision to close parks would have to be approved via a two-thirds vote by the council.
"I've had so many constituents and I know my colleagues on the council have as well, trying to understand the decision to close our County parks by the County Executive," Fitch says. "We have not received any explanation whatsoever from the county executive or his staff as to why they unilaterally made this decision to close all of our parks."
He says the county is working on a plan to gradually reopen parks, starting with trails.
Franklin County will be reopening some businesses starting this Friday. County Presiding Commissioner Tim Brinker said golf courses, movie theaters, concert halls, gymnasiums, exercise and fitness studios, bowling alleys and skating rinks will be allowed to reopen, but will still have to follow social distancing guidelines from the state.
St. Charles County also says it's looking into relaxing COVID-19 restrictions, but County Executive Steve Ehlmann says it won't happen there until they see how reopening the economy works elsewhere.