Jordan Beck | Daily Press Escanaba resident Ione McGeehan uses a hand sanitization station at Escanaba City Hall Tuesday. The facility re-opened to the public Monday morning.

ESCANABA — Escanaba City Hall reopened to the public Monday morning. According to City Manager Patrick Jordan, things have been going well at the facility so far.

Fewer people have visited city hall since it reopened than city officials were expecting.

“We really thought we would get just an influx of people, and that hasn’t really happened, but we’re here and we’re ready for them,” Jordan said.

He said this may be due to the services offered by the city online. Escanaba residents can pay utility bills at www.escanaba.org.

“They’re able to take care of business remotely,” Jordan said.

Payments can be left in a drop-box on the west side of the building, as well.

For people who do need to visit city hall in person, steps have been taken to make their visit as safe as possible. These steps include:

– Placing hand sanitization stations throughout the facility.

– Closing public restrooms and water fountains.

– Offering masks to visitors who request them.

– Installing sneeze guards in areas where members of the public interact with city employees.

– Having custodians clean the facility at least two times each day.

City hall employees are also required to fill out a self-assessment at home and check their temperatures at the door each day. If they have a temperature of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, employees must immediately notify the city clerk and leave the building.

Measures have been put in place to promote social distancing among visitors to city hall.

“Social distancing is set up with X’s on the floor,” Jordan said.

Additionally, chairs in the facility have been removed.

“We don’t want that congregating to happen,” Jordan said.

“We’re glad to be opened up again,” he said.

The Escanaba Public Library, which shares a building with city hall, has not yet reopened to the public. However, it moved to Step 2 of its re-opening plan Monday.

As a result, the library is now able to process patron requests for materials. People can pick up and return books via a drive-up service, available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The library is tentatively planning to move to Step 3 of its reopening plan on Monday, June 22. In this phase, the library will reopen with limited public access; spaces in the library will be reconfigured to allow for social distancing. The library’s hours and services may be modified at this point.

In Step 4 of the re-opening plan, the library will once again provide full access to its services and programs. When it moves into this phase, the library will maintain its established procedures to keep the facility clean and safe.

To request library materials for pick-up, call 906-789-7323 or visit www.escanabalibrary.org.an said he was happy to see Escanaba City Hall resume business as usual.