HART, Mich — The Silver Lake Sand Dunes ORV section will open to the public Saturday, June 13. The ORV area normally opens on April 1 each year.
The opening was delayed due to COVID-19, but businesses are preparing to welcome tourists under new safety guidelines.
For Mark Rippee, the owner of Silver Lake Buggy Rentals, and other businesses around the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, COVID-19 has turned the summer tourist season into a frustrating waiting game.
"COVID-19 is a very difficult," Rippee said. "We've had a different opening dates as far as the off road vehicle area that we've had to cope with.
But there is hope that this time, opening day will stick.
Staff at Silver Lake Buggy Rental are preparing the ATV’s and Dune Buggys for customers. But this season safety has taken on an added importance.
"We have a COVID plan where we keep spacing," Rippee explained. "[The six-foot plan will] start from the time customers pull into the parking lot."
Rippee said he's implemented extra precautions as people are processes, signed up and get to the dunes -- all in a safe manner. He and his team have put together a new traffic flow to encourage social distancing, added barriers and additional sanitation steps inside their office, and will use a powerful disinfectant on all its vehicles between rentals.
"The first buggy of the day will be as clean as the last one of the day," Rippee continued.
Rippee expects the process to go a little slower, "In the past, we could do a hundred rentals in a day. I highly doubt that it'll be possible with the extra time we're going to take for safety purposes."
Mark’s message to visitors as the summer season prepares for a late-start, "Silver Lake will be open, finally."
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