Wiscasset Parks and Recreation Director Duane Goud and the rest of the Wiscasset Community Center team have been working hard to make sure they are ready to go when state restrictions start to ease.

Even down to three full-time workers, the staff have been very busy. During the closure in March and April, staff completed extensive cleaning, refinished the gym floor, raked and cleaned up the outside grounds, refreshed carpets, sealed and waxed tile floors, and more. Goud said they treated the shutdown much like they do the annual August week-long closure and took advantage of the time to get ahead. And people may have noticed the empty WCC sign on Gardiner Road. The sign is getting a facelift for better visibility.

In an interview over email, Goud said: “We are definitely looking forward to opening our doors to the public once again. Times like these are very hard on everyone, the sooner we can get our lives back into a somewhat regular schedule, including the interaction of others, society as a whole will be better but definitely different as we move forward in these unprecedented times.” The wait to open WCC is nearly over. Goud said the aim is for June 1, based on Gov. Janet Mills’ phases for reopening the state.

In the meantime, WCC instructors have led online fitness classes that have garnered great feedback. And planning is now underway to make sure programs have the necessary safety and health precautions. Goud added, “Summer camps and other daily Adventure Camps will be available for online registration as soon as we have a good idea what additional restrictions and guidelines are going to be put into place by the State.”

“Hopefully 5 a.m. Monday, June 1, we will be open once again! There are going to be modifications, restrictions and new guidelines coming out almost daily between now and the end of the month. There will be a checklist that we will have to fulfill before we are able to reopen to the public.”