![The tree canopy in North Chagrin Reservation. Squire's Castle is open for people to walk through. Cleveland Metroparks shelters are closed for reservations. [Lisa Ryan / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5301a1b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2016x1512+0+0/resize/840x630!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F6%2F02%2FNorth%20Chagrin%20Reservation%20Cleveland.jpg)
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Bonnie from Lake Milton asks: “Are park pavilions opening up?”
Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman who says there’s no plan to reopen their pavilions, for a couple of reasons.
The first priority is to keep visitors safe, Zimmerman says. With restrictions on mass gatherings, he says it doesn’t make sense to allow people to rent them out and put themselves at risk for spreading COVID-19.
“We want to be part of the solution; we’re trying to be part of the solution,” he said.
Zimmerman says staffing is also an issue. They had to lay off and furlough almost 650 staff, which makes it hard to maintain the structures even if people could safely rent them.
He says the state is allowing regional park officials to make reopening decisions that are in line with Ohio’s guidelines.
Zimmerman says he’s spoken with other park districts, and many are opting to not open pavilions or hold events out of an abundance of caution.
