Reimaging Wellness Platforms at Watertower Place in the Time of Coronavirus

Yoga on the Terrace is just one of wellness initiatives that we are developing for guests of Watertower Place.

Over the past two years, Watertower Place has made Wellness a priority platform with our indoor and outdoor spaces. The Upper Riverwalk Terrace is one of Pueblo’s premier locations and soon to be a permanent destination for wellness activities. For those who have taken one of our Watertower Place Weekend Tours, the visit to the fourth floor terrace is one of the highlights and a sacred place to appreciate the views of Pueblo and Pikes Peak.

In June 2020, we will begin testing wellness platforms in a controlled environment at Watertower Place similar to the manner in which we offer our public tours. Wellness groups will be limited to no more than 10 persons including the instructor, participants will be required to wear a mask, and social distancing will be honored at six feet. As part of the Governor’s Economic Stabilization and Growth Council, we have been witness to the many different pathways to reimagining and reopening public and private spaces for the future. Our teams have also been communicating with the City and County in regards to possible variances and other options available to local businesses, enterprises, non-profits and affinity groups.

We are excited to test drive new pathways to wellness and look forward to sharing more with the community in the coming weeks. If you should have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team and or leave a comment below.

We are committed to building for the future at Watertower Place.

#ResilientPueblo #PuebloProud #PuebloStrong

Gregory Howell

Creative Consultant

Help Our Local Restaurants in Pueblo Reimagine the Future of Reopening

Do you own, operate or manage a restaurant in Pueblo? Do you patronize a particular restaurant and want to make sure it is able to reopen as we slowly open certain sectors of our economy? Please share the Restaurant Guidance Feedback link so that important information can get to the government decision makers. As a member of the Governor's Economic Stabilization and Growth Council, we realize that each sector of the state is very different and this requires a thoughtful and careful plan for reopening our restaurant sector. Yesterday the Governor announced the tentative plans and direction for this sector opening (see below).

Restaurant Reopening Guidel... by CPR Digital on Scribd

This is a call to all restaurant owners to obtain their feedback on reopening restaurants in Colorado. Please share as this data is critically important to ensure the voice of Pueblo is heard.

Thank you and BE SAFE,

Gregory Howell

'Supporting Pueblo' e-Commerce Website Offers Resources and Support to Our Local Businesses

Supporting Pueblo is a joint initiative between Pueblo County, local leaders, business owners and community members offering resources and support to our local businesses and community.

Are you a small business in Pueblo County with products or services to offer? Are you an artist, creative or maker with handmade items for sale? Perhaps you are a non-profit with memberships and services worthy of a greater audience. ‘Supporting Pueblo’ is for you.

‘Supporting Pueblo’ is the brainchild of Commissioner Garrison Ortiz and a team of creative professionals who he assembled to support the needs of individuals and businesses within Pueblo County. Many communities around the USA and abroad have developed solutions to confront the unique challenges of COVID-19, but Pueblo has harnessed world class talent to take it one step further and create a hyper-local Amazon-style e-commerce platform that offers a one-stop solution for marketing, sales and distribution of products.

According to website developer Nicki Hart, Creative Director of Digital Hart Media, ‘Supporting Pueblo’ has generated over $3,000.00 in on-line sales since the launch in April. Currently 28 vendors offer over 400 products and services. ‘Supporting Pueblo’ relies on the services of the SRDA to make deliveries throughout Pueblo each afternoon, making the whole effort a true #PuebloProud and #PuebloStrong initiative.

I am pleased to announce that ‘Supporting Pueblo’ will be creating a new section on its website for fine art from creatives, makers and artists. Blo Back Gallery (see below) and Kadoya Gallery will be the first art businesses to showcase the work of local creatives. The beauty of ‘Supporting Pueblo’ is the capacity to offer two powerful transactional platforms to meet the needs of local businesses. For those with existing e-commerce capacity, ‘Supporting Pueblo’ can list items in their directory and then offer a direct link to the online store of the merchant to complete the transaction. For those with no e-commerce presence, ‘Supporting Pueblo’ will handle all aspects including marketing, sales, and delivery. Sell your products online and get them in front of local residents without the technical hassle of managing your own online shop, shipping or delivery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sellers receive 100% commission on all sales. Anyone with a product or service to sell in Pueblo, CO is invited to join the platform. 

While this e-commerce platform was designed to meet the immediate needs due to COVID-19, the long term goal is to create a true hyper-local Amazon-style enterprise that supports Pueblo-based businesses.

For more information and to learn how you can sell your products online at ‘Supporting Pueblo’, click on the buttons below.

Thanks for ‘Supporting Pueblo’,

Gregory Howell

#ResilientPueblo #PuebloProud #PuebloStrong

Blo Back Gallery will offer a variety of original works including Jeff Madeen’s wood block prints on Japanese Hosho paper.

Transitioning from Stay-At-Home to Safer-At-Home

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The Governor continues to offer more guidance about the transition from the statewide Stay-At-Home order to the Safer-At-Home order.
 
The most important thing to understand is that this is not going to be back to normal. It’s not even going to be a major adjustment from where we are right now. It is going to be a period of more sustainable social distancing practices.
 
Here are some of the key points:

• Vulnerable populations and older adults must stay at home except when absolutely necessary. 

• No group gatherings over 10 people. 

• Critical business remain open with strict precautions (social distancing, masks for all employees, more frequent cleanings, etc.)

• Retail businesses open for curbside delivery and phased-in public opening with strict precautions. 

• Restaurants and bars remain closed except for takeout/delivery. Work towards phased reopening.

• Nightclubs, gyms and spas remain closed. 

• Elective medical and dental procedures begin, with strict precautions to ensure adequate personal protective equipment and the ability to meet critical care needs. 

• Personal services (salons,, dog grooming, personal training, etc) will open with strict precautions. 

• K-12 schools remain closed for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Telecommuting continues for offices. Starting May 4, up to 50% of staff may work in person (with social distancing in place) but we encourage employers to continue to maximize telecommuting.  Meaning if you can run your business with 100% telecommuting please do that! 

More Specific Guidance For General Public & Industries
Here’s some specific guidance for the general public and for business owners; sector-specific information will be made available in the coming days.
 
General Public

• Strongly advised face coverings and staying 6ft apart in public

• No gatherings over 10 people

• Sick people may not go to work

• Avoid unnecessary travel including for recreation 

Vulnerable Populations and Older Adults

• Continue to follow the Stay at Home Order, which means only going out when absolutely necessary

• Utilize special industry hours for vulnerable populations like early

• Extreme precautions at facilities that serve seniors including assisted living.

What Does This Mean for Seeing My Friends and Family?

• People should still limit interactions except with immediate household

• If you do see limited family or friends outside of your household, be extra cautious to stay 6 ft apart, wear face covering, and limit contact

• Stick to solo and non-contact recreation activities like running, walking, or hiking in your local community. 

• Do not travel outside of your local community for recreation. Avoid contact sports or equipment.

 
Industry Best Practices
Remember: non-essential workplaces should be operating at no more than 50% capacity and should allow employees to telework whenever possible. If during stay at home they were able to successfully telecommute 100% of their employees- keep doing that! 
 
Here are some best practices you should be implementing to protect your workplaces, your employees, your customers, and the public at large.

Worksites

• Deputize workplace coordinator(s) charged with addressing COVID-19 issues

• Maintain 6 foot separation when possible, and discourage shared spaces

• Sanitize all high touch areas

• Post signage for employees and customers on good hygiene

• Ensure proper ventilation, Open windows, fans, etc.

• Avoid gatherings (meetings, waiting rooms, etc) of more than 10 people

• Implement symptom monitoring protocols (including workplace temperature monitoring) where possible

• Eliminate or regularly sanitize any items in common spaces (i.e., break rooms) that are shared between individuals (i.e., condiments, coffee makers, vending machines)

• Large workplaces and worksites will need to set up daily symptom screenings. 

  • These work! We had a member of our leadership in our emergency operation center get flagged for elevated temperature, he went to get tested, he tested positive, we quarantined all his contacts at the EOC for 14 days and we avoided an outbreak. 

 
Employees

• Require employees to stay home when showing any symptoms or signs of sickness, and connect employees to company or state benefits providers

• Provide flexible or remote scheduling for employees who need to continue to observe Stay at Home, who may have child or elder care obligations, or who live with a person who still needs to observe Stay at Home due to underlying condition, age, or other factor

• Encourage and enable remote work whenever possible

• Encourage breaks to wash hands or use hand sanitizer

• Phase shifts, breaks to reduce density

• Provide appropriate protective gear like gloves, masks, and face coverings
   

Customers

• Create special hours for vulnerable populations only

• Encourage 6 foot distancing inside of the business for all patrons

• Encourage use of protection like gloves, masks, face coverings

• Provide hand sanitizer at entrance

• Use contactless payment solutions, no touch trash cans, etc. whenever possible

Guidance for Local Governments
Coloradans did a good job staying at home as a state and as a result, according to our modeling, we no longer need a state-wide stay-at-home order. But each community is in a different situation with regard to COVID-19.

Many local municipalities, especially those with large populations or in areas where there are hotspots, may continue to have more restrictive rules in place. Others may have very few or even zero cases of COVID-19. 

Local and County governments have three options:

1. Stay consistent with state order

2. Go farther than the state order, including but not limited to stay at home orders or additional protective measures. 

3. Apply for a waiver from CDPHE to relax guidelines further than the state. Local governments will need to have very low case count and/or demonstrate proof of 14 consecutive days of decline of infection of COVID-19 in the jurisdiction. The application to CDPHE must include a written County COVID-19 suppression plan approved by the appropriate local public health authority, all hospitals within the jurisdiction and elected leadership within the jurisdiction.

 
Timeline
Here’s a timeline of implementation over the coming days:

Sunday, April 26

• Last Day of Stay- at-Home Order

• Safer at Home executive order 

Monday, April 27

• Public Health Order and guidance to be issued: 

• Retail - Curbside can begin

• Real Estate - showings can resume

Friday, May 1

• Retail and Personal Services can open if implementing best practices

Monday, May 4

• Non-critical offices can reopen if best practices and lower density are being implemented.

DOWNLOAD EXECUTIVE ORDER

COLORADO COVID-19 WEBSITE

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