Norfolk Parks and Recreation outlines 2025 summer schedule, highlights staffing changes and camp demand

Daryl Crittendon, director of Norfolk Parks and Recreation, told the City Council that the department is "geared, ready to roll with 2025 summer events and activities," and presented a summer schedule of pools, beaches, camps and special events.

The announcement matters because the department outlined changes that affect access and safety for Norfolk residents this summer, including pool renovations, a temporary ADA ramp closure, staffed beaches and high demand for affordable summer camps.

Crittendon said outdoor pools on the schedule include Huntersville, Southside Aquatic Center, Northside and the Chesterfield Outdoor Pool; Chesterfield has been renovated with a new deck, bathrooms and pool furniture. He said Northside Pool will close for one week for an ADA ramp repair and "the pool will reopen back on May 24." He also said Ocean View Beach will be staffed this summer "for the first time it's been staffed since 2019." He described typical center hours, camp scheduling and the department's in-service week for staff training and facility deep-cleaning before camps begin.

Crittendon gave prices and enrollment details: Norfolk Explorers Camp for ages 5 to 12 is an eight-week program priced at $150; the teen Norfolk Navigators camp for ages 13 to 16 is $50 per week over eight weeks. He told council the children's camp "sold out within 15 minutes of registration." He also said therapeutic recreation serves about 85 participants annually and that the program maintains a waiting list. The department reported hiring 20 executive interns this year and roughly 140 seasonal staff across programs.

Council members asked operational and access questions during the presentation. Councilwoman Johnson asked whether in-person registration was available after noting camps fill quickly; Crittendon replied that online registration replaced early-morning lines where people would camp out and sometimes require security. He said staff have discussed using vacant school spaces in summer to increase local camp capacity and ease waiting lists. Council members also raised the idea of giving registration priority to parents who regularly participate in recreation-center programming.

Council members proposed new recruitment and program ideas: a preteen lifeguard training camp to build a future lifeguard pipeline; expanded use of rec-aids and youth shadowing; and cooperation with Norfolk Public Schools and the city manager's office to explore using vacant school gyms for summer programming. Crittendon noted the department offers free lifeguard certification classes and that lifeguard pay can range from $20 to $25 an hour.

Other items detailed in the presentation include: special events (Nighthawks series, skateboard competitions, Motown Mingle, 1 Love Festival and movie nights), park ranger programming and athletics clinics. Council members asked for follow-up reports on senior activities at Union Senior Center, the status of specific facilities such as the boxing center on 30 Fifth Street, and the therapeutic recreation location on Evans Street near Mary Calcott School.

The presentation closed with council and staff appreciation for Crittendon's nearly two decades of service; he announced his pending retirement earlier in the meeting. The council did not take any formal votes on programming during the presentation but directed staff to follow up on registration options, use of vacant schools and lifeguard recruitment ideas.