Butler County’s YMCA decided Friday to keep ARMCO Park in Slippery Rock closed through the summer over coronavirus concerns.

“The park is about bringing groups of people together and unfortunately many people are not comfortable getting together in large groups right now,” said David Hilliard, president and CEO of the organization.

The decision was announced by Hilliard in a letter addressed to the organization’s volunteer board.

While the facilities will be closed, the grounds will be open for people to walk, Hilliard said.

The park on Centreville Pike in Slippery Rock Township usually opens in the summer, and many county residents flock there to keep summer temperatures at bay.

Located on 75 scenic acres along Slippery Rock Creek, the park normally offers seasonal camping and recreational activities. And the historic Dance Hall and Armco Hall are usually available for weddings, graduations or corporate events seating up to 300 people — activities Hilliard hopes can resume next year.

Use of the park during the summer by the YMCA day camp was going to be curtailed this season even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Hilliard said.

Officials expected a drop in the number of children enrolling and the costs of busing students from the city to the park also factored into the decision, he said.

One of Butler County’s largest nonprofits, the Butler County Family YMCA Association closed its facilities in March. It cannot reopen until the state puts Butler County in the green phase designated by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration.

However, the YMCA is surveying members to see what they would be comfortable with when the facilities are reopened. The Butler County Family YMCA includes the Butler facility on North Washington Street and the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township.

Questions include if members would be comfortable exercising while wearing a mask, social distancing and using hand sanitizer.