Riverbank Parks staff outline summer camps, pool schedules and festival plans; scholarships currently unfunded

Unidentified Parks and Recreation staff reviewed the departments summer programs and event calendar during the orientation meeting.

Staff said eight summer camps will begin June 10 (four full-day and four half-day offerings) with full-day camps at a capacity of roughly 30 children. Swim lessons begin the following Monday in five two-week sessions; staff reported most beginner sessions are full and later sessions are filling.

On aquatics and admission, staff provided the pool schedule and said recreation open swim runs Mondaythrough Friday and weekends for set hours. The department sells individual swim passes ($30) and a family pass (four-person) for $400. On scholarships, staff said the department currently has no dedicated funding and is not offering scholarships, and proposed adding an optional $5 donation question at registration to seed a scholarship pool for low-income households.

Staff also described programming partnerships and contract classes (examples: archery, hip-hop, drum circle), noting that contracts and revenue splits vary with typical instructor arrangements at a 70/30 split (instructor keeps 70 percent). Tony Lemons was identified in the meeting as the departments recreation supervisor; another staff member said past hip-hop classes were very popular and that the department is working to reintroduce similar offerings.

For events, staff said Food Truck Fridays ran in May with roughly 18
'0 vendors and strong attendance; Movies in the Park will rotate through neighborhood parks (Selville Park June 22; Jacob Myers Park July 13; Castleburg Park July 27). Staff also outlined Wine & Cheese Festival plans for Oct. 12, 2024 (one-day downtown event with family programming during the day and a 21+ area in the evening).

Staff encouraged community members and small businesses to participate as vendors or sponsors and said staff will help with permitting and vendor recruitment; staff named Jeanette as a city staff member who assists with vendor outreach.

The department also discussed improving online services, noting RecDesk is used for class registration and that facility reservations will move further online by 2025 so residents can complete bookings remotely. Staff advised that all program and fee updates will be presented to city council for approval as needed.

Ending: staff invited committee members to propose agenda items for the next meeting and to help recruit local businesses and volunteers for events.