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Avondale parks and aquatic programs report high attendance, new events and award recognition
Summary
Parks and Recreation reported strong 2025 attendance across signature events (Light Up the Sky ~10,000; Billy Moore Days ~27,000) and the Aquatic Center saw about 58,000 visits and 2,300 swim‑lesson participants; staff outlined program expansions, revenue figures and upcoming events for 2026.
City recreation staff told the Avondale City Council on Dec. 1 that 2025 was a year of growth for parks, events and the Aquatic Center, with higher participation, new programming and external recognition.
Recreation Manager Mark Foote reviewed special events: the July 4 "Light Up the Sky" event drew just over 10,000 attendees; the Billy Moore Days area saw about 27,000 visits over four days and a parade crowd of roughly 2,000; and new or expanded events — including Mercados & Melodies (about 600 attendees) and a Creeping Candy Crawl (near 5,000) — showed increased vendor and resident participation.
Foote said staff are exploring partnerships with state planners for next year's July 4 and making layout and food‑service changes after feedback. He said cycle events were paused because prior registration goals were not met and staff are focusing resources on higher‑participation programming.
Recreation Manager Brittany Cherminski gave the Aquatic Center update, reporting about 58,000 regular swim visits, roughly 2,300 swim lesson participants (up from about 1,500 the previous year), nearly $300,000 in combined summer revenue across two years, and FY2026 receipts at about $129,000 toward a $205,000 annual target. She highlighted program expansions — water polo, additional rentals, dive‑in movies and a revived Arizona Lifeguard Challenge — and said the Aquatic Center won recognition from the Arizona Parks & Recreation Association.
Council members praised lifeguard training partnerships with fire and police and asked staff to continue exploring event logistics and equitable distribution of events through the city. Staff said recruitment for 2026 lifeguard and seasonal positions has begun, with interviews in January and training in February and March ahead of an April opening.
Votes at a glance: the council approved the consent agenda 7–0 earlier in the meeting (motion by Council Member Weiss, second by Council Member White). The council later moved to adjourn and left without additional legislative action.
