04-13-13 Special Meeting of La Porte City Council

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• The traditional programs at Evelyn Kennedy have, for the most part, been at capacity for the past three years. According to staff, attendance at the Harris County structured camp conducted at the Northside Park had dwindled down to 10-15 regular participants by 2010 (the City program enjoyed continued high participation, mainly because it was "come and go as you will"). Proposed Program Changes for La Porte Should Council make the determination that expanding the summer camp programming, staff is prepared to implement two changes for summer 2013. First, the maximum capacity for each of the one -week camps can be increased to a number that can still be accommodated by our existing transportation. Currently, class size is capped at 20 participants, which is easily accommodated with the bus. We could raise the cap to 39 participants by utilizing both the bus and the van for transportation. For the weeks of the upcoming camps at Evelyn Kennedy, the bus has been reserved for camp use and the van is dedicated for recreation programs. Secondly, staff can continue the expanded recreation programing at Northside, with the less structured environment as we have been. Additionally, as an added recreational opportunity, staff has discussed feasibility of allowing children from the Northside Park area, whose parents are interested in the more structured concept, to sign up their children to participate in the Evelyn Kennedy program, at no charge, for up to the 19 new available slots. Transportation could be provided from Northside to Evelyn Kennedy each morning and afternoon. By offering those slots early as "first come, first served", staff could gauge the interest. If those slots were unfilled, they could be offered to La Porte citizens as additional slots to the 20 currently available. Revenue shortfall from Northside participation, would amount to about $3,300 for the three week sessions, if all 19 slots were filled. An added feature would be to allow the children enrolled in the Evelyn Kennedy program to partake of the free meals at Northside by transporting them over from EK at lunchtime. Council Direction Our current program charges $60 per session, which essentially covers basic costs for field trips, some lunches (field trips), and supplies. Staffing and transportation units are absorbed as a fixed budgeted cost through the general fund. We do not have a reduced rate for those on financial aid; our rates are comparable to those charged at other cities in our area, for all children. • Does the City want to move in the direction of additional subsidies for recreational amenities for those unable or unwilling to pay for that amenity? • Does the City want to expand the age group upward and or downward to include more children? It should be noted that the 6-12 age group (latchkey kids) is the most vulnerable when left unsupervised and has traditionally been the target for summer programming. Moving the age downward increases the costs exponentially with increased standards of care, staffing, etc. Action Required by Council: None. Approved for City Council Agenda Corby D. Alexander, City Manager Date