Eldred Township has made the decision to keep the municipal building and the community center closed until further notice as a response to COVID-19.

The thrift store located in the community center will remain closed as well in accordance with the governor’s orders; no donations will be taken at this time.

Eldred Supervisors are taking these measures to limit physical traffic.

Township staff will still be available via email and phone to handle ongoing business with the community.

“Anything that people need to get done, we’re still doing that. We’ll set up appointments as need be. We’re trying to keep it business as usual and protect our employees, protect the public, and protect our community,” said Supervisors’ Chairman Gary Hoffman.

The Eldred Board of Supervisors is currently looking into setting up remote access for the monthly community meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for April 18. This would allow the meeting to be streamed in real-time online.

“We are getting the parts and pieces together so that folks will be able to access the township meetings via the internet. We’ve taken the necessary measures to proceed with that project so that folks knowing they are not supposed to come out of their house would at least be able to stay in touch with township business and see what’s going on,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman urges that the community remain calm, but also commit to take the necessary steps in dealing with the pandemic.

“This is not slight at all, this is continuing to rise and it will continue to rise. We want folks to be safe but on the same token stay calm, don’t panic, and look out for your neighbors. It’s important that you look out for your families and neighbors to make sure they’re safe and if they have any needs.”

“We’re all in a state of flux. We don’t understand what’s going around us, probably nobody in our lifetime, especially for me, has ever seen this; and I’ve been in emergency planning for 42 years. We’ve planned but I don’t think anyone has expected it to get as far as it has.”