The biggest question being asked by the membership is “When will the Kiva open?” Short answer is that it never closes and the long answer is the association has left the parks open for the membership to enjoy but also hoped that everyone would do their best to follow the state and county health and safety guidelines. For the most part this has been true but there are always people who bend the rules they don’t agree with. Please keep in mind that the association did not make the rules and is not the enforcement agency for state orders. Complaints to the office that certain groups are barbecuing or swimming do not help resolve anything but the massive increase in complaints and member requests has rendered our office incapable of responding to its members in a timely fashion. If you feel there is a direct threat to the health and safety of our community then it should be brought to the attention of a government agency that has the authority to act promptly.
Due to the “shelter in place” order the Kiva staff did not start on May 1st and the combination of warming weather and everyone being cooped up, the Kiva has experienced an early start for increased use. One of the association’s volunteers stepped up and took care of the general cleanup for the last couple weeks but the staff will be starting very soon. To practice social distancing please allow for at least six feet of space between you and the attendants when approached to validate membership or pay for guest launching.
Last but not least, a friendly reminder.
The Kiva rules specifically state that members must present their membership cards to the staff when using the Kiva. Typically we use the month of May as a reminder period to ease everyone into the season and give them a chance to contact the office if they did not receive the cards, unfortunately that will not work this year due to the late start. If you access the Kiva and do not present a current membership card then expect to receive a violation notice and possibly have your access to the facilities revoked for the rest of the year. Also, if you have friends or family bringing vessels this summer to launch at the Kiva through the guest launch policy then there is a rule specific to that as well which states that each member may guest launch only one vessel per day. This rule will be heavily enforced on the holiday weekends as that is when the Kiva suffers the most overuse and docking is limited.
Be safe and courteous while enjoying the parks and everything should run smooth this summer.