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Recreation staff: Olivette summer camps served 137 unique children and generated $88,238 in revenue
Summary
Parks staff told the Olivette Parks and Recreation Commission that summer camps recorded 378 attendances across eight weeks (137 unique campers), produced $88,238 in revenue and $65,544 in direct camp expenses; staff described fee-waivers, staffing challenges and planned improvements.
Recreation staff reported to the Olivette Parks and Recreation Commission on Nov. 19 that the city’s summer camp program logged 378 total camp attendances over eight weeks, representing about 137 unique campers, and generated $88,238 in revenue against $65,544 in direct camp expenses, excluding department-level overhead.
The presenter, identified in the meeting as recreation staff, told commissioners the camps included both city-run program camps and contract camps (vendors such as Mad Science and bricks-for-kids). “We served a total of 378 children over 8 weeks…that equates to 137 unique campers,” the presenter said, and added that some camps ran at or near capacity while others ran with smaller enrollments.
Staff explained the city’s pricing structure: program camps run by city staff have rates set to recover direct program costs and contract camps charge a vendor base price plus an overhead percentage. For the city’s flagship program-camp weeks, staff reported rates of $199 per week for members/residents for five-day weeks and $224 per week for nonresidents, with prorated four-day rates. Fee waivers are offered by the city program: participants qualifying under the school free-lunch program receive a 50% discount and those on reduced lunch receive 25% off; sibling discounts (10%) and an eight-week bundle discount (10%) were also noted.
Commissioners pressed staff on member discounts and how resident/member pricing differs from nonresident and private camp rates. A commissioner noted private programs in the area can charge two to three times as much; staff said the city aims to recover direct costs while keeping camps broadly accessible and that fee waivers help preserve access. “As we rate increase our fees, we know that that keeps camp accessible to everyone,” staff said.
Staff described operational challenges and adaptations: many seasonal staff are students who return to school in August, creating staff shortages late in the season; the department runs five days of pre-camp training for staff, requires CPR certification where necessary, and operates a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) volunteer program for 14- to 15-year-olds. The presenter said the department will expand counselor training, plan more weeks in advance, order t-shirts earlier for parent night and explore additional outdoor structured play to reduce wear on indoor facilities.
On costs and accounting, staff said the $65,544 figure excludes full-time departmental overhead such as payroll and finance time; the department is working to produce a fuller operating-cost estimate that includes building and indirect overhead. Staff also flagged wear-and-tear on the multipurpose room and said some mitigation steps—new reusable table covers and changes to where high-impact activities occur—had already reduced damage.
Parents’ feedback from an in-summer survey (41 responses) was largely positive: comments praised counselors, field trips and the new location. Staff said they will keep working to match programming and schedules with community needs and to address the staffing and facility issues raised during the discussion. The commission did not take a formal vote on program changes; the discussion was informational.
