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Recreation department reports strong participation; surveys highlight need for gym space and lifeguard hires
Summary
Staff reported nearly 3,000 winter participants with 436 survey responses and said spring sports will involve about 5,500 children; survey feedback repeatedly cited insufficient gymnasium space. Staff also described active lifeguard recruitment and summer program plans.
City recreation staff reported participation and survey results and previewed spring and summer programs at the Recreation Committee meeting on March 24.
Survey results and facility needs: Recreation staff said the winter season served about 3,000 children and that 436 surveys were returned (about a 15% response rate). "We did get hammered in not having enough gymnasiums to allow our children to have more practices during the season for skill development," the recreation staff said, summarizing a recurring parent theme.
Staff said coordinators compile survey responses by geographic area and use the comments to coach and, when necessary, to document volunteer misconduct. "If we don't want someone to coach again because of problems, it also gives us some documentation to say that we're, you know, we're going to ask that you not volunteer to coach again," staff said.
Spring and summer programming: Recreation staff reported nearly 5,500 children are enrolled in spring youth sports citywide, with many teams using soccer, baseball, softball and running tracks. Swim programming is expanding: staff said registration is open for some summer camps and that the James Island summer swim team has 150 children registered; that number is in addition to approximately 330 year-round swimmers on the department's competitive team.
Lifeguard hiring: Staff credited Aquatics Manager Steven Fernandez for ramping up recruitment and certifications. "He is really good at hiring young folks," staff said, reporting active interviewing and certification so pools can reopen beyond the current MLK pool as staffing permits.
Feedback technology and data sharing: Councilmembers asked if survey data could be shared by district and whether QR codes could be installed in parks to collect feedback. Staff said they would compile geographic summaries and were checking IT feasibility for park-based QR codes; staff promised to follow up in April.
Why it matters: Participation numbers and survey feedback guide facility planning, scheduling and coach training. The recurring complaint about gym space is an operational constraint that affects practice schedules and program quality across neighborhoods.
Ending: Staff will compile and circulate survey summaries by district, follow up with IT on QR-code feasibility, continue lifeguard hiring and report back on summer program rollouts.
