The number of cases of Covid-19 ballooning in Carthage and a number of events that traditionally attract large crowds are on tap in Carthage parks through July.
That combination of factors has Carthage City Council members nervous as they decide whether or not to allow events such as the annual Independence Day fireworks display, the Jasper County Youth Fair, and others to take place in the face of a historic pandemic.
City Council members decided at their regular meeting on Tuesday that they needed to hold a special meeting specifically to discuss the city’s response to the spike in cases that the Jasper County Health Department has said was centered in Carthage.
The council will meet by video teleconference at 2 p.m., Thursday, June 25. The only item on the agenda is “consider and discuss the city’s response to Covid-19.”
Events
July is traditionally a busy month in Carthage’s parks.
• Independence Day usually features food trucks, fireworks, live music and other entertainment at Municipal Park. Families spread blankets out on the green expanse of the Carthage Golf Course or park cars on Oak Street or in parking lots or on other streets around the park.
• The Jasper County Youth Fair is slated for July 14-18. This event that draws hundreds of area young people and families and friends to the fairgrounds in Municipal Park to show off farm animals and a variety of other displays and items they’ve spent the year making in preparation for the big event.
• The second Carthage Paddle Battle was slated for July 24 and 25 at Kellogg Lake Park. Last year’s event attracted dozens of groups and families, who built homemade rafts and boats and raced them on the Spring River.
Kip Smith, an organizer of the Paddle Battle, announced on Wednesday he was cancelling it in light of the current crisis.
“We had difficulty signing up teams and given the current climate, I felt it could draw negative sentiment toward those that participate,” Smith said in a text message he posted to Facebook. “The first objective was to raise money for the park. The second was to showcase local organizations in a positive light. The third was to get people outdoors to discover and enjoy our beautiful parks. I feel none are achievable this year.”
Also cancelled this year was the Belle Air Place Independence Day Bike Parade, a 20-year tradition on a street in Carthage’s Historic District.
Discussion needed
The city council has a hand in all of these events, approving street or golf course closures, approving the parks department and law enforcement participation in the events, and in other ways.
A spike in June has seen the number of lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Jasper County outside Joplin rise from 24 on May 29 to 407 on June 23, according to the Jasper County Health Department.
The Health Department announced on Wednesday it had recorded the first death related to Covid-19 in the county, a man in his 70s who tested positive for the disease on June 10.
Council Member Ceri Otero, during discussion about the Paddle Battle, said she was concerned about making decisions about these events one at a time without further discussion by the council about the city’s overall response to the spike in cases around Carthage.
“I don’t have enough information to know what I feel on this,” Otero said. “I think we need to have a full discussion related to what is our city strategy, what is our city approach right now, and spell things out very specifically for attendees of crowded events on city property.”
Several other council members spoke in favor of having the meeting.
Council Member Dave Armstrong said in the past he’s advocated that the city follow the state’s plan when it comes to the Covid-19 response, but the city is on its own now in response to the current outbreak.
“Our governor posted just prior to the meeting ‘Good news, we are not overwhelmed, we are not currently experiencing a second wave, and we have no intention of closing Missouri back down at this time.’” Armstrong said. “In the past I have been a huge proponent of following the governor’s plan, I have brought that up on multiple occasions, that we stick with the plan, stick with the plan. There is no more plan and the responsibility has been sent to us and we need to take that responsibility up and to lead this community, because there is no more outside assistance.
“What it’s going to be is what we’re going to decide and it’s going to be on our shoulders to address this situation because while other people may be preoccupied with opening things back up so they can get reelected, we need to focus on our neighbors and we need to focus on doing what’s best for our community right now during this crisis.”
City department heads said they were looking forward to the meeting to get guidance from the council on how to proceed in the coming weeks.
“Obviously it’s challenging, it’s going to be challenging for all of us,” said Parks Department Director Mark Peterson. “I’m just looking for that direction on Thursday, I’ve told several of the planners and organizers that we may have some direction from this meeting tonight and I’ll follow up with all of them tomorrow to let them know about the meeting on Thursday and provide them with the contact information if they would like to bring some information forward related to their own activities or if I can provide that information for them.”
