Starting immediately the Centers for Disease Control recommends cancelling all events of 50 people or more. In adherence of this federal guideline, the City of Brentwood is canceling all city sponsored events and programs beginning today and through April 30, 2020. City Manager Kirk Bednar said, “large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 or the coronavirus, so the City wants to be proactive in doing its part to help stop the spread in our community and beyond. We understand canceling events which our volunteers have worked hard to plan and the community enjoys is difficult, but it’s the right thing to do.”
The following City sponsored events are canceled:
- Arbor Day April 4
- Ravenswood Mansion Open House April 19
- Brentwood Friends of the Library Used Book Sale April 17-19
- Easter Egg Hunt April 9
- Boiling Springs Academy Open House April 19
The following Brentwood Police Department services are impacted:
- Defensive Driving School, March class cancelled
- Citizen Fingerprinting, cancelled until further notice
At this time, the John P. Holt Brentwood Library will close beginning Tuesday, March 17 until further notice. All meeting room reservations will also be cancelled. The decision to close the Library was made from concern for the health of employees given the hundreds of people who visit the library daily, and in response to the CDC guidelines regarding large gatherings. Library users are encouraged to monitor the Library’s website and social media sites for further updates.
Brentwood Parks will remain open at this time, but all shelter reservations will be canceled through April. Refunds will be offered, if applicable. Please contact the Parks Department to inquire about rescheduling or canceling your reservations. You can reach the Parks Department by calling 615.371.0080. Also, although the parks are currently open, we do suggest citizens follow CDC guidelines and not gather in large numbers especially around playgrounds.
Also, all outdoor youth sports activities scheduled on city-owned fields by other organizations will be canceled through the end of March. Parks Department staff will be communicating with youth sports organizations and school athletic department staff to determine the status of these activities in April.
Bednar added that other private events planned on city property will be left up to individuals to decide whether appropriate to continue, cancel or postpone. “The City owns and operates two historic homes that are booked for weddings and special events. We recommend that anyone who has a private event booked at one of our properties follow the CDC guidelines which state that events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing,” Bednar advised. The City has implemented a postponement policy for anyone wishing to reschedule their event date due to COVID19. You can review that policy here for Ravenswood Mansion and here for the Cool Springs House.
Official city board meetings, which include the Planning and City Commission, will continue but we encourage residents and citizens to attend via our virtual option. All board meetings are live streamed and can be viewed here. Volunteer boards will determine whether to meet at the discretion of the board chairperson. However, if held, volunteer board meetings are not live streamed.
You can find more local information about COVID 19 here:
Williamson County Office of Public Safety
The Center for Disease Control
Tennessee Department of Health
