Renton previews River Days and summer programming; city cites parade permit barriers and $900,000 pool grant

Mary Jane Van Cleave, Renton’s parks and recreation administrator, told the City Council Committee of the Whole on a city-run meeting that the department is preparing an expanded slate of summer events and staffing after absorbing elements of River Days previously run by a nonprofit. “We maintain 33 parks … we serve on average over 3,000 weekly,” Van Cleave said, adding the department will hire about 250 seasonal part‑time employees to run expanded programming.

Why it matters: the changes affect parade participants, vendors, seniors, pool users and downtown businesses as the city centralizes event operations, relocates the farmers market for the season and implements significant repairs to the aquatic center paid for by a King County grant.

Attendance and programming highlights Van Cleave summarized last year’s attendance figures while noting some figures were transposed in the presentation and apologizing for that. She said the drone show downtown had a low recorded number in the presentation, Jean Coulon Park drew about 4,100 visitors for a different event, and Liberty Park attendance fell slightly from just over 10,000 to about 9,800 after a layout change. Van Cleave told council the indoor community‑center bazaar and a free kids activity zone adjacent to Cedar River Park drew strong interest.

Jennifer Spencer, Renton’s Recreation Human Services director, credited moving the activity zone next to the community center for higher indoor traffic and said vendors preferred a climate‑controlled location. “Moving the footprint of the activity zone really helped out, being next to the community center. As nice as it is to have everything outside, it actually is very helpful to us to have it climate controlled,” Spencer said.

Parade participation and permitting Councilmembers pressed staff about a dip in parade entries last year. Spencer and Van Cleave said some potential entrants were deterred by permit requirements and insurance rules. “If you wanted to be in the parade, you have to provide a certificate of insurance,” Spencer said, adding that the city is working with its legal team and other departments to simplify procedures and reduce obstacles for participants.

Van Cleave framed the drop as part of a larger transition from a volunteer nonprofit model to an internal city operation: “It is that transition … The benefit is we do have the infrastructure, the stability, and the resources, but you do have to go through the bureaucracy.” She said staff are trying to streamline interdepartmental processes and step up marketing to restore and grow parade participation.

Farmers market relocation and business concerns Staff announced a temporary relocation of the farmers market to Second and Williams for the season. Van Cleave called the move “temporary” and said it would run about 18 days in the new location while the city completes permitting and safety planning. Carrie Olsen, who staffs the market, was thanked by Van Cleave for adapting to the change.

Councilmembers raised concerns about parking and access for nearby businesses, including a yoga studio whose primary access and customer parking run off Williams. Van Cleave said staff are negotiating mitigations with affected businesses, arranging parking passes for customers and hiring additional staff to manage traffic and access during market days; facilities staff will also put up directional banners and coordinate with a nearby building for restroom access.

Vendors and funding Parks staff reported the summer bazaar will return with many of the same vendors; Van Cleave said roughly 70 vendors have applied to return. The department also said it received $10,000 in LTCH funding and that the Community and Economic Development (CED) division received $25,000 to support entertainment and performances for River Days.

Senior programming and neighborhood events Van Cleave said the senior picnic was moved to the community center and that registration for 2024 reached about 405 people versus roughly 84 the prior year. Councilmember Prince asked for the comparison and Van Cleave provided those registration numbers.

Neighborhood picnics and Cascade neighborhood activities were discussed; staff said they planned to restore traditional neighborhood picnic hours and would adjust timing if attendance patterns suggest a different window would work better for families and students when school begins.

Sports, youth and internships Staff said the popular pickleball tournament is expanding to three skill levels and a women’s division, and that youth programming expanded: the youth council’s teen night at the pool drew about 400 teens last year and the department is launching a multi‑week Parks and Recreation internship to expose local youth to park planning, urban forestry, operations and the Capital Improvement Program. Van Cleave encouraged council outreach to schools and said registration information will be shared when available.

Pool repairs and capital improvements Staff told the council the aquatics center is receiving “just over $900,000” from the King County Parks Levy program for needed repairs. Van Cleave said the pool—about 20 years old—will get tile and flooring work and interior upgrades; the public will most noticeably see a new water play feature in the zero‑depth area and an updated play structure. Van Cleave said about half of the aquatic center users are Renton residents and half come from outside the city.

Communications, registration and the PROS plan Van Cleave and Spencer reminded council the seasonal guide (May–August) will be released and that registration opens April 23; staff cautioned registration days often create heavy web traffic. The department also said it will promote the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan for 2026 at events this summer to collect public feedback. Van Cleave told council she has heard complaints about a new website form and that staff will supplement online outreach with postcards, QR codes and on‑site feedback at events to increase participation.

Next steps and timeline No formal motions or votes were taken. Staff said they will (a) continue interdepartmental work to simplify parade permitting and insurance barriers, (b) finalize logistics and mitigation for the temporary farmers market site on Second and Williams, (c) proceed with pool repairs funded by the King County grant, (d) hire roughly 250 seasonal employees for summer operations, and (e) promote the PROS plan and internship opportunities to youth and schools.

Van Cleave closed by urging residents to give feedback at events and through the guide and said staff would return to council with more operational details as they are finalized.