Starved Rock Lodge & Park closure to continue

Staff
Posted 4/29/20

UTICA – It was no surprise to Amy Trimble, Concessionaire of Starved Rock Lodge, that the State Park was not in the first phase of park re-openings.

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Starved Rock Lodge & Park closure to continue

Posted

UTICA – It was no surprise to Amy Trimble, Concessionaire of Starved Rock Lodge, that the State Park was not in the first phase of park re-openings. “We all know that this park is very different from the others in the state and the country,” said Trimble. “With the millions of visitors coming to the park each year, we can’t just open the gates and see what happens. There has to be a very thoughtful, detailed plan that helps us control crowds and ensure safety for the lodge and park staff as well as the visitors.”

Trimble reported that she and the new superintendent, Alvin Harper, are working closely on a plan of action for the opening of both facilities. “We talk and share information daily. We both want what is best for our people and for our park.”

The Lodge, which officially closed on March 21, had created an Infection Prevention Plan several weeks prior to the official closing of Starved Rock and the “shelter in place” mandate. Trimble will continue to have her staff follow these cleaning and safety guidelines. In addition, they will be making changes to ensure that guests are social distancing and staff is safe. “While the changes go against our service guidelines, we feel that for now, they are important in keeping everyone involved safe and Covid19-free,” Trimble said. 

Some of the changes will include the addition of Plexiglas partitions at front counters, removing tables in the dining areas, reconfiguring ingress and egress in retail and dining areas and unfortunately canceling some of the Lodge’s larger activities and events.

“Our hope is to re-invent some of our activities so that we are still providing a great experience for guests but on a smaller scale,” Trimble added. “We are actually looking forward to this challenge because it gives us a chance to roll out some new and unique ideas that previously we may have thought were too small to bother with.”

Trimble went on to say that the staff is very anxious to get back to work and again welcome guests to the historic lodge. “We’re 34 days into a possible 70-day closure and we are all ready to get back to normal, whatever that may look like.”