Volunteers for New Ipswich Green Center are set to present a reopening plan to the Select Board on June 16.
Board members discussed the issue during the Select Board meeting Monday, stressing the fact that they hope to see strict social distancing adherence in the plan, if they are to approve it.
Selectman John Veeser said that though larger retail stores have been operating at 50 percent of their occupancy, for the Green Center, he would be more in favor of keeping it to under 10 people at a time, including volunteers.
Town Administrator Scott Butcher agreed, saying that larger retail stores have wider aisles and more space, and that the “tight quarters” of the Green Center would make it more appropriate to limit the amount of people in the building to 10 or under.
He was also concerned that the Green Center would be run at the same time as the New Ipswich Farmers’ Market, which opens this Saturday, and runs weekly in the New Ipswich Town Office parking lot.
He also suggested there should be a waiting period between the time items are donated and the time they are added to the Green Center inventory.
Selectman Shawn Talbot said volunteers are very open to measures suggested by the board, if it means being able to operate.
“They’re very flexible,” Talbot said. “They’re willing to make it happen. They’re a motivated group of people.”
The board agreed to here a complete plan for re-opening the Green Center during its next meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Town Offices, and available online, on June 16.