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Recreation reports high demand for camps, teen center soft‑open and new events
Summary
Palo Alto Recreation reported the soft opening of the Bryant Community Center and teen center, a rise in camp enrollments with nearly 3,000 campers and a 1,695‑person waitlist for summer programs, and several upcoming events including Discover Your Path and Around the World in a Day.
Sarah Robustelli, division manager for Open Space, Parks and Golf, updated the commission on recent programs and upcoming events.
Robustelli said the second annual Hearts & Harmony Valentine's Dance (Feb. 13) reached preregistration capacity (250) with about 200 attendees on the day. She outlined upcoming events: a Puzzle Hunt this week; Discover Your Path (a career‑exploration event) on Feb. 28; Around the World in a Day on Mar. 28 at the Lucy Stern Community Center; and the May Fete parade on May 2.
Robustelli announced a soft, phased opening of the new Bryant Community Center, with winter classes and a teen center that opened Feb. 11 and is currently operating at capacity (about 25 teens on open days). She said La Comida will serve lunches at the site during the lunch hour once programming is finalized and that staff will invite the commission for a tour ahead of a grand opening targeted for late spring.
On summer programming, Robustelli told the commission the department is offering 310 camps for 2026, with 2,943 campers enrolled to date and a waitlist of 1,695. She said the department is monitoring enrollment trends and will combine camps and make operational adjustments as needed, noting limits are primarily space and staff.
Commissioners asked for more detail on demographics and whether the department can expand capacity; staff said they would follow up with more specific numbers.
Separately, staff reported tree failures near 2100 Gang Road adjacent to the Baylands Athletic Center after a winter storm and that staff are coordinating cleanup and repairs; no injuries were reported.
No commission motions or votes were taken on these informational items.
