Community centers have become cooling centers this weekend as a historic heat wave hits the North Olympic Peninsula and building capacity limits are lifted.
These facilities are open today:
• Port Angeles — The air-conditioned Port Angeles Senior and Community Center at 328 E. Seventh St. will be open from noon to 5 p.m. today to give residents a place to cool off, center Director Aubry Bright said.
Masks are required regardless of vaccination status, and physical distancing remains in effect, according to a city announcement.
Decks of playing cards and puzzles will be available at the facility.
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The senior center had reopened June 1 with a limited schedule of programs.
“We’re treating [this weekend] as a test run,” Bright said.
The senior center may serve as a refuge for hot weather again later this summer, Bright said.
• Chimacum — The air-conditioned Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road in Chimacum, will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. The facility’s phone is 360-390-4014.
• Quilcene — The Quilcene Community Center, 294952 U.S. Highway 101, also air-conditioned, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, and can be reached at 360-765-3321.
• Brinnon — The Brinnon Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center, 306144 U.S. Highway 101, isn’t air-conditioned, but will have fans and water available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The center’s phone is 360-796-4350.
On Monday, the North Olympic Library System’s four Clallam County libraries will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., welcoming people who need to get out of the heat. Port Angeles’ main library is at 2210 S. Peabody St.; the Sequim branch is at 630 N. Sequim Ave.; the Forks library is at 171 Forks Ave. South and the Clallam Bay branch is at 16990 state Highway 112. For details, phone 360-417-8500 or visit NOLS.org.
The Port Angeles senior center on Monday will revert to its normal scheduling, with hours from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Clallam County Emergency Management offered support on Friday to any cooling centers set up in the county.
Gov. Jay Inslee lifted COVID-19 capacity restrictions on publicly owned or operated and nonprofit cooling centers in light of the heat. Capacity otherwise is currently limited to 50 percent until the state fully reopens Wednesday.
The Jefferson County centers will “more than likely” stay open Monday if demand and conditions continue, said Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management Director Willie Bence.
“Monday, honestly, might be the hottest day of them all,” he said, adding he’ll decide today whether to keep the three facilities available. If open, their hours will be similar to what they were during the weekend.
Port Townsend’s Uptown recreation center won’t be used as a cooling center, Bence added, since temperatures there are expected to be 15 to 20 degrees cooler than in the South County, where triple-digit temperatures are forecast.
Jefferson County Emergency Management is partnering with the Olympic Community Action Programs to open the facilities. OlyCAP Executive Director Cherish Cronmiller said that while service animals are welcome, pets are generally not allowed.
If someone needs to come to a community center and has a well-behaved dog or a pet in a carrier, she said the staff would try to accommodate them.
“When people are in need, we do our best to adapt,” she said.