COCHRANE— The iconic Cochrane RancheHouse officially reopened on Monday (July 6), with public safety measures in place to ensure the safety of all staff and guests.
The building has been outfitted with hand sanitizer at all entrances, arrows on the ground to direct traffic, and markings to help visitors observe the recommended two-metre social distancing measures.
RancheHouse staff is taking a “staggered” approach to their return, said Greg Barsi, Facilities Manager with the Town of Cochrane. He explained certain staffers are on rotating shifts to limit their exposure to each other.
“We have some staff working in shared offices. Rather than having them come back and sharing workspaces we’ve got them on a schedule that will allow them to work partly from the office and partly from home.”
All of the town’s front-facing public services are up and running at the RancheHouse once again, Barsi said, but those services are also available online.
“Most of the services have also been migrated over to a digital format, so the public can certainly choose which means they feel most comfortable with,” he said.
At this point the town is encouraging anyone who is comfortable utilizing the online services to take advantage of those, he added.
The RancheHouse’s facilities have also opened up for bookings once again, provided the events being booked fall within the COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the Alberta Government and Alberta Health Services.
Barsi said that many of the staff at the RancheHouse are glad to be back in the office. He added on a personal note the return is a relief.
“We are, as a staff, looking forward to being able to serve the public again in person,” he said. “Being able to reopen the front-facing side of the business is certainly a welcome piece for most of the staff.”
Although the administrative offices are open to the public, Town Council meetings will remain online for now, with a tentative plan to return to in-person meetings in early September.
