City of Lamar closures due to COVID-19

The City of Lamar has been vigilantly watching the widespread effects of the COVID-19 virus and communicating regularly with both local and state stakeholders. After much consideration, city leadership has chosen several actions to help do their part to lessen the exposure risk, to both employees and the citizens that the serves. Please understand none of these decisions were taken lightly and it is highly possible they will be amended as the situation develops.

Please check the City of Lamar’s website for updates at https://cityoflamar.org.

The following City of Lamar facilities will be closed until at least Monday, April 6. The situation will be reviewed on Friday, April 3 to determine if further closure is necessary. All events scheduled in these facilities during the closure will be canceled and refunds of deposits will be sent as soon as possible. No new reservations will be taken during the closure. The facilities include Thiebaud Auditorium, Lamar City Park, the enclosed shelter, Memorial Hall, the Lamar Aquatic Park and Lamar Youth Athletics.

Three-month pass holders at the Lamar Aquatic Park will have the time of the closure added to their passes.

All bathrooms at the Lamar City Park will be closed except the enclosed shelter bathrooms, which are open year-round.

Lamar Youth Athletics featuring tee ball, machine pitch, baseball and softball will postpone the start of practice until at least April 6. The coaches’ meeting and draft scheduled for Thursday, March 19 is canceled. Parks and Recreation Director Heidi Johnson will contact coaches to set up meetings for each individual age group within the next two weeks.

Truman Area Transportation Taxi services will be evaluated throughout this process. For the time being riders are being limited to one round trip per day for essential needs such as, groceries, pharmacy and preplanned doctor’s visits. Along with increasing the sanitary cleaning of the taxi vehicles, the city will also be limiting the number of riders allowed in the vehicle at any one time. All TATS customers are asked to evaluate their needs and plan trips accordingly.

The Lamar Police Department is working to limit face to face interactions. Any call that can be handled by telephone will be handled without a police response. Police officers will stop responding to medical calls unless requested by EMS or a specific need arises. Officers will no longer respond to vehicle lockouts unless a child is in the vehicle, other services are offered around the community to fulfill this need. The police ride along program is being suspended and city court is being canceled for March 24. Notices will be sent to those who were supposed to appear. Officers will continue to respond to all violent crimes, those requiring the collection of evidence and those determined by supervision.

As to utility billing, the city wants to remind everyone that they can pay their utility bill online rather than coming to city hall. Anyone that has had a hard time paying their bill because they have been affected by COVID-19, please contact Lamar City Hall at 417-682-5554, ext. 1.

For further information on preventing the spread of the coronavirus please see the CDCs website linked below. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html