HENDERSON, Ky. — Residents of Henderson will soon be able to visit the Henderson Municipal Center in-person again. The building, after being closed to in-person traffic for nearly a year, will re-open to visitors on Monday, March 15.

Since March 16, 2020, the City of Henderson has operated under a state of emergency, and City offices have been closed to protect the essential services of police enforcement, fire protection, sanitation, and utility services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been a long and challenging year to keep everyone healthy and everything functioning, but we feel like the reduction in the number of both local and statewide cases of COVID-19 allows us to safely re-open the Municipal Center,” said City Manager Buzzy Newman. “We will evaluate our other offices as time goes on, as more people are vaccinated against the disease and as case numbers decline even more.”

Public meetings will continue to be available via Zoom, live stream on the City of Henderson website, Facebook, Twitter, and broadcast on Spectrum Cable Channel 200.

Visitors will notice a few changes once the Municipal Center reopens.

Upon entering the front entrance on First Street, visitors will need to use the temperature scanning station in the vestibule before they can proceed.

Then, the lobby receptionist will ask what type of business the visitor needs to conduct and either direct them to continue to the Utility Collections lobby or summon the employee they're there to visit.

Visitors will be required to wear a mask and maintain 6-foot social distancing, and they're asked to follow the signage in the Customer Service area.

Those who visit the Utility Collections lobby will be asked to exit through the Elm Street door and be mindful of traffic in the drive-thru lanes on that side of the building.

The John F. Kennedy Community Center is partially open, with some restrictions, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

• Only the weight room is open;
• Pre-registration is required for the available hour-long sessions, and nine spaces are available for each session;
• Masks are required at all times; and
• Temperature screenings must be done before entering.

The Parks Department has also resumed rentals of the Denton Shelter and the Atkinson Clubhouse.

“We would like to thank our citizens for working with us during this difficult year we’ve all been through,” Newman said. “None of us ever imagined It would stretch out this long, but we are happy that the conditions, while not exactly normal, are allowing us to take one step toward ‘business as usual.’”