Portsmouth expands summer programming; serves 23,000 meals June 16–30 while camps face long waiting list

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth’s Parks & Recreation Department told the City Council it has expanded summer offerings across the city this year and served 23,000 meals between June 16 and June 30 as part of its USDA summer meals program.

The department said it is operating summer camp at eight city sites, providing free breakfast and lunch at 42 locations, and piloting extended evening hours for teens at Neighborhood and Cavalier Manor recreation centers. Mark Palmachuk, director of Portsmouth Parks & Recreation, said, “The theme this year is Space Invaders,” and that programming includes STEM activities, field trips and swim lessons.

Why it matters: City-sponsored camps and feeding programs are a primary child-care and food-security resource during summer months for families. Council members pressed Parks staff on capacity, access and how residents find and register for programs.

Parks staff outlined locations and services. Camps operate at city recreation centers (including Neighborhood and Cavalier Manor) and at four Portsmouth Public Schools sites (Craddock Elementary, Westhaven Elementary, Churchland Middle and Churchland Primary). The department added outreach sites in Lexington Place and London Oaks; London Oaks programming was paused because of an air-conditioning problem. The city provides swim lessons, teen drop-in opportunities, therapeutic recreation at Craddock, and senior programming including transportation and partnered classes.

Palmachuk said the USDA Summer Meals program is offered Monday through Friday and that the city is serving breakfast and lunch at 42 sites this year, up from 37 last year. “We were able to serve 23,000 meals just in that time frame,” he said of June 16–30. Parks staff also named the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funded youth leadership program that runs monthly at J.U. Parker Recreation Center; Palmachuk said about 20 youth currently participate in that leadership program.

Council members expressed two recurring concerns: how residents locate and register for programs and the department’s ability to expand capacity. Councilwoman Thomas and Vice Mayor Moody said they had difficulty finding program registration on mobile devices; Palmachuk said program listings are on the department site and linked to the Virginia Cooperative Extension pages but acknowledged mobile navigation can be improved and noted that the city website is scheduled for a redesign.

Palmachuk said camps use a waiting list when programs are full. He told council the department currently has about 700 individuals on the waiting list for summer camp and that Parks uses a 1-to-12 staff-to-child ratio as its staffing standard. He described the department’s practice when campers do not attend: staff contact families after the first week and begin filling seats from the waitlist when families drop off. He said the department uses rising seniors and youth season interns to help staff camps but that many require pairing with adult staff.

The presentation listed new and continuing partnerships and events: Bank of America funded youth golf outreach at CityLinks, Portsmouth Warriors Boxing Club, Paradise Creek Nature Park (about 40 acres with trails and restored wetlands), Crawford Creek Wildlife Preserve (about 142 acres with kayak launch and trails), weekly senior programs and the regular summer special events calendar including Sunset Thursdays (an estimated 7,000 attendees weekly at Festival Park) and the city’s back-to-school distribution on Aug. 10.

Funding and grant notes: Palmachuk flagged potential federal cuts to CDBG funding and said Parks staff and local officials, including contact with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Congressman Scott’s office, are advocating to preserve funding for the youth leadership program. The department also noted USDA and CACFP reimbursements underpin the feeding program.

Council discussion and next steps: Council members asked staff to return with clearer, mobile-friendly registration pathways and recommended closer coordination with churches, civic leagues and Portsmouth United (an emerging community app) to consolidate event and registration information for families. Council members also raised the possibility of adjusting fees, expanding staff, and using interns to increase capacity. Palmachuk said he would evaluate staffing needs and return with recommendations; the manager and council noted a website redesign is planned to improve accessibility.

No formal council action was taken during the presentation; staff asked for feedback and said they will return with options on website improvements, staffing and program expansion.