Coronavirus (COVID-19) - March 20, 2020 Update

Please visit https://www.henrietta.org/covid for the latest updates.

Corona Virus Update – March 20, 2020

Unfortunately, after a lot of happy pickups and returns, the Grab-n-Go library service will have to come to an end. The State is closing ALL public libraries.  Thank you to all of the staff who made the service available.

Other closures/staff reductions include…

Due to rising hygiene concerns, the public restrooms in the Town Parks will be closed until further notice.

In light of the “no more than 10” gathering limit, all cabin rentals have been canceled until further notice.

The Town Clerk’s Office, the Building and Fire Prevention Office, and the Engineering and Planning Office are closed. There are lock boxes located in the lobbies outside their offices where payments and applications can be made.

All Building Inspections for occupied buildings, whether residential or commercial, have been suspended until further notice. Inspections of outdoor infrastructure or of unoccupied construction sites, will continue for now.

Our DPW staff has been split into two crews, with one crew working week one while the second crew is home on furlough, and then switching for the following week. We have passed a referendum allowing them to receive one-third of their paycheck while on furlough (about what they would get from unemployment) and they can supplement from accumulated paid time off to keep their income up.

Other departments are either doing the same, or in cases where the essential workload does not allow them to reduce staffing, at least half the employees are working from home.

Community announcement: In light of the current circumstances, the 38th annual award of the Antionette Brown Blackwell Woman of the Year Award, honoring the first ordained woman minister in the United States and a Henrietta resident, and awarded to an outstanding Henrietta woman is being postponed until later this year.  Once a new date has been selected, ample notice will be provided, including additional time for nominations.

In order to comply with the 10-person limit on meetings, we have switched to streaming our meetings over Facebook Live so residents can still watch and participate. We had always planned to start doing this, but have had to accelerate it in light of the pandemic. Our plan is to eventually add a camera mixer so that we can have multiple cameras to provide a better streaming experience. We are also working on hiring a sign language interpreter since this allows us to reach more residents in Henrietta, including those who are Deaf or hard of hearing.

The Henrietta Senior Center is operating as one of the grab-and-go meal sites for Rush-Henrietta students. In addition, we are accepting donations of non-perishable food items, which we will disinfect the packaging and provide to the RHAFT food cupboard for distribution. If you need supplemental meal assistance, please call RHAFT at 453-2370. If you are donating non-perishable food items, please avoid the hours of 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM as those times are when the grab-and-go meals are in operation.

If you are a senior in need of supplemental meals, please call the Senior Center at (585) 334-4030 to arrange for participation in the program.

Reminder: expirations for dog licenses have been “extended,” meaning there will be no penalty for not renewing your dog license for any that expire on or after February 29th. However, if you would like to renew, you can do so through our website, via mail, or via our drop box in the lobby, as long as you still have a valid rabies vaccine. If your rabies vaccine has expired, you will need to wait until you can get the vaccine (many veterinarian offices are closed except for emergency services) and present it. When the doors open back up, we will give everyone 30-days to get their expired licenses up to date.

Reminder: The Recreation Center, Library, Senior Center, Tinker Museum, and Hansen Nature Center will be closed until further notice and all programming activity is suspended, including preschool, youth and adult programs, gym and room reservations, pickleball, walking track and open gym. While we know this will present an inconvenience, we are working towards slowing the spread of the Coronavirus and will also be working to offer some services through alternative means.

The schedule of upcoming public meetings are as follows:

Planning Board – the meeting for March 24th has been canceled. The meeting for April 14th will most likely be live streamed instead of allowing public presence.

Town Board – the meeting for March 25th will be live streamed instead of allowing public presence. The meeting for April 8th will most likely be the same. The same holds true for the Special Permit Hearings and Town Board Workshop sessions prior to the actual Town Board meetings.

Zoning Board – the meeting for April 1st will most likely be live streamed instead of allowing public presence.

Conservation Board – the meeting for April 7th will most likely be live streamed instead of allowing public presence.

Historic Site Committee – all meetings have been postponed until Public Hearings are allowed again.

More details will follow on how to participate in a live streamed public meeting.

Community Notice: The Bond Vote for the Fire District’s Station 6 has been postponed. Once restrictions begin to lessen, they will reschedule the vote.

Again, this is a rapidly changing and evolving situation. Expect more changes daily.

The best way to prevent acquiring COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends everyday preventative actions to help minimize the spread of respiratory viruses, including practicing “social distancing” if possible.

The CDC suggests:

• wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• stay home when sick, especially if medication is needed throughout the day.
• Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

People who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their health care provider.

As you are no doubt aware, this is a rapidly evolving situation. Please call ahead if you have any questions about Town facilities being open. If you are planning to visit Town Hall, you can call 334-7700 to ensure we are open.

Here are some resources with information regarding this evolving situation:

Town of Henrietta Coronavirus Updates: https://www.henrietta.org/covid

Monroe County Coronavirus Resources: https://www2.monroecounty.gov/health-coronavirus

Frequently Asked Questions by the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

New York State Department of Health: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/

Monroe County Health Department has a CoronaVirus Hotline at (585) 753-5555.

In addition, New York has established a Novel Coronavirus Hotline, which can provide additional information. Call 1-888-364-3065 with questions about travel and symptoms.

Sincerely,
Stephen L. Schultz
Henrietta Town Supervisor