Parks staff say federal funding restored for two CLC sites, avoiding pay-to-play plan

Recreation staff told the Waukesha City Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Board on July 21 that federal funds for two Community Learning Center (CLC) sites have been unfrozen and resubmitted, restoring roughly $180,000 and ensuring the sites are fully funded for the year.

"We just learned that the feds have unfrozen, resubmitted. They're giving us our money for CLCs... So that means that our two CLC sites are going to be fully funded this year," said Mark Thompson, a recreation staff member who described the amount as "to the tune of about $180,000." Thompson said the funding news removed the possibility of converting sites to a pay-to-play model that would have affected families and caused hardship for students.

Thompson described the development as a "huge win" for the department, the school district and families. He told the board that prior to the funding being confirmed staff had been considering pay-to-play options that would have raised costs for families and likely increased the number of students left without care after the school day.

The announcement followed other operational updates at the board meeting: staff said the department is pursuing additional turf-field rentals with a partner (SC Wave) to increase rentals and revenue, and reported that the TurboChefs installations have already met their 2025 revenue goals. Administration reported combined June revenues of more than $425,000 across registration and point-of-sale channels.

Board members did not take separate formal action on the restored federal funding during the meeting; Thompson said the restored allocation will support full operation of the two CLC sites through the funding period. The department will continue to provide program and budget updates to the board as the CIP and operating budget process proceeds in August.