Brian Hill
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (July 21, 2020) — Fort Leonard Wood senior leadership are continuing to work at finding ways to reopen as many community amenities as possible while retaining necessary COVID-19 mitigation protocols.
After careful consideration, the following Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Army & Air Force Exchange Service locations are reopening or updating mitigation measures:
— barber shops
— Snack Avenue (North and South Express)
— Daugherty Bowling Center
— RecPlex Splash Park
— Main Exchange and Mini-Mall food courts, and Popeye’s/Burger King
— Motorcycle Safety Course
Barber Shops at full capacity
As of July 18, all barber shops have increased the amount of customers they can service while continuing to sanitize chairs and equipment between use. All customers and barbers are required to wear face coverings and use social distancing in the waiting area. Additionally, plastic sheeting is being used as barriers between each barber chair.
Snack Avenue now open at both North and South Express gas stations
As of July 18, all self-serve stations for soda, coffee and frozen beverages at the North and South Express gas stations have resumed with sanitation every 15 minutes. Personal cups and refills are prohibited. Roller grill operations are also resumed, but self-service is restricted. Items are packaged by an attendant for self-service pick-up in the warming cabinets. Straws, utensils and condiments remain at the register for dispensing. All attendants wear gloves and face coverings and all established food-safety practices for food temperatures, holding times and equipment sanitation are being strictly followed.
Daugherty Bowling Center opens July 24
Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Face coverings are required at all times unless eating or drinking. Snack bar and lane registers will be combined to allow for better access for services while allowing the staff to enforce social distancing.
No food orders will be taken directly at the snack bar, which will have a limited to-go menu. Beverages will be allowed at the lanes, but no alcohol at this time. Every other bowling lane will be out of service as well as specific seats near the specified lanes to prevent close proximity of patrons in adjacent lanes. Disinfecting procedures will include shoe and bowling ball rentals controlled behind the counter and increased sanitation of tables, seats, computer touch screens and bowling balls, to include inside of finger grips after each use.
The Drop Zone Game Room will have increased sanitation and be limited to every other seat and game system. The Kids Zone and pool tables will remain closed at this time.
RecPlex Splash Park opens July 25
Hours of operation will be noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (with two time blocks: noon to 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.), and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Face coverings are required at point of sales. As the pool remains closed to recreational swimming, the age of entry for the splash park will not be limited to 6 years and younger. Mitigation measures will include limited occupancy (40 people per time block), increased sanitation measures and no deck chairs. Cost per time block is free for customers 3 years old and younger and $2 for everyone else.
Food courts, restaurants to offer limited dine-in option
Installation dining locations such as food courts at the Main Exchange and Mini-Mall, as well as Popeye’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, American Eatery and Starbucks are planning to allow 25 percent capacity dine-in beginning Aug. 1 (dependent on successful hiring of new employees). This means 70 people in the Main Exchange Food Court, 30 people in the Mini-Mall Food Court, 48 people in Popeye’s/Burger King, 22 people in Pizza Hut, 30 people in American Eatery, and 14 people in Starbucks.
Floor decals and table toppers will remind customers to use social distancing protocols. Dining room attendants will sanitize drink stations every 15 minutes, and tables after each use. Self-service at drink stations will resume with signs instructing patrons not to use personal cups and to request a new cup (at no cost) for refills. Cups, straws, utensils and condiments will remain behind the counter and issued to customers.
Motorcycle Safety Course to resume
The Motorcycle Safety Course resumes Aug. 4, with one instructor for every six students. Classrooms will be sanitized between classes. In the basic course, each student is issued their own contractor-owned motorcycle for the duration of the course, which will be sanitized between classes.
Compliance with each of these changes will be continuously monitored, and non-compliance could result in further changes, including the elimination of certain services.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to safely return a sense of normality to the lives of the service members, civilians and families living and working on Fort Leonard Wood,” said Megan O’Donoghue, FMWR director. “The mitigation measures FMWR has put in place are for the safety of both our customers and our staff. It is not simply a matter of personal choice; it is required. Measures such as face coverings and social distancing protect us all. We ask that everyone do their best to follow the new procedures, so we can continue to provide exceptional amenities to this community. Please use our comment-card system if you are frustrated with any of the limitations or requirements.”
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission