Dennis the Menace Park reopening

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Dennis the Menace Park is reopening.

The park will open April 20th, and will be open Tuesday to Sunday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and sunset. The park will also be open Monday between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and sunset.

 A once popular playground and tourist attraction filled with the hustle and bustle of laughing children now sits empty, eerily quiet after a year of being closed down due to the pandemic but that's soon going to change. They city announced that the playground will be reopening on April 20th.

The Parks and Recreation Director, Karen Larson, for the City of Monterey says with the drop in COVID cases in the city, they felt safe to open it up.

"We've seen a significant drop in the case rate and so we thought it was safe to go ahead and open," says Larson.

Basketball courts also recently opened on April 9th in Monterey with residents who say they're happy to finally be outside and use them.

"It feels good you know, I'm glad to be out here instead of inside home," says the resident.

One tourist from San Francisco who was casually walking his dog says it's his first time walking around the playground but supports the decision to open it.

"I'm all for opening the parks but of course we should follow the advice of the doctors. If they say it's safe to open up, then let's open it up," says the tourist.

Once the playground reopens, the city still encourages people to continue using their masks, stay six feet apart, and wash their hands.