Hollywood Park council approves expanded Snack Shack pilot, awards wristbands to participating families

The Hollywood Park City Council on a unanimous voice vote approved a plan to repeat and expand the Snack Shack pilot at Voigt Pool for the 2025 swim season, allowing resident volunteers and youth teams to sell prepackaged or preprepared items at scheduled dates this summer.

The program is intended as a community fundraiser and a youth entrepreneurship learning opportunity; councilmembers approved the proposal with one additional allowance: each participating family may receive up to five daily pool wristbands for the days they serve. Councilmember Gonzales and Councilmember Pierce served as the program liaisons in 2024 and will again oversee scheduling and administration.

Organizers said the pilot keeps the city’s role minimal: Snack Shack operators must be Hollywood Park residents or resident-led nonprofit groups, carry a certificate of insurance naming the town as an additional insured, and follow food-safety and electrical rules set with city staff. Fire and public-works staff participated in the prelaunch briefing for last year’s participants; the council reiterated that no on-site cooking is allowed and that plug and electrical safety must meet fire-department guidance. As the cover sheet in the council packet states, operators may sell prepackaged or preprepared items, keep food warm but may not operate a working kitchen at the facility.

Parents and children who ran the 2024 pilot described the experience as both a community service and a business lesson. "It was a wonderful experience," said Rachel Gray, a participant and parent, adding that children learned cash handling and customer communication. Eleven-year-old Barrett Gray, who worked at the shack last year, said the program taught him entrepreneurship and public-facing skills: "Some things that I loved about the Snack Shack were that it's, good entrepreneurship, like, learning experience and, that it's fun." Samuel Pierce, another youth participant, told the council that the activity taught him how to manage customers and money.

Organizers provided the council with performance data from last year’s pilot: two scout troops that served multiple days reported the largest net take (the packet lists a net of $560 for one troop across three days), while other families’ multi-day efforts netted smaller but meaningful sums (one family reported $216 net across several days). Organizers said profit varied with donated supplies, pricing and whether sellers offered homemade items (which often yielded higher margins). The packet also included a post-event questionnaire used to capture lessons learned, and organizers recommended allowing simple wristband access for helpers who are not otherwise pool pass holders so they can cool off between shifts.

The council approved the motion to repeat the pilot for 2025, with the liaisons returning to set exact dates and advertise via the town’s GetConnected system. The motion passed on a voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded on the record.