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Glendora's Dirt Camp marks 75 years, shifts to in-person registration and adds safety rules
Summary
Recreation staff said Dirt Camp celebrated its 75th season, moved primary registration to an in-person day (482 spots filled on the day), adopted a cell-phone policy, behavioral strike rules (three strikes can lead to dismissal) and created a new CIT readiness program; staff also described campership scholarships and facilities needs.
Recreation Coordinator Jasmine Rosa reported that Glendora's Dirt Camp is celebrating its 75th anniversary and described operational changes to registration and safety intended to improve fairness and safety for campers.
"We transitioned to an in-person process," Rosa said, outlining an in-person registration day that filled 482 camp spaces and used 13 staffed stations to reduce wait times and deter falsified online entries. She told commissioners the 2026 registration fee was $150 per camper and staff proposed a 2027 fee structure of $150 for Glendora residents and $200 for nonresidents.
Rosa said the department implemented several safety and operations changes: buses now remain on-site all day so staff can respond quickly in an emergency; authorized-pickup procedures are checked at sign-out; a no-cell-phone policy during programming hours applies to campers, counselors-in-training and staff to reduce distractions; and a behavioral policy uses strikes, with dismissal after three strikes for safety reasons.
Rosa also described a new CIT (Counselor-in-Training) readiness program for incoming 7th- and 8th-graders offered as three one-week sessions at $70 per week, intended to prepare participants for the main CIT program. The regular CIT program for 9th-12th graders remains in place and counselor pay was reported as minimum wage (about $16/hour).
Camp scholarships (camperships) are funded through the Glendora Coordinating Council and the Community Services Foundation; Rosa said about 19 camperships were awarded this season and staff report that everyone who applied for a campership was served.
Commissioners asked about the cell-phone and three-strike policies (one commissioner suggested alternative terminology for strikes) and about facilities needs at the camp site; staff said restroom facilities and a nonfunctioning septic at a donated Girl Scout cabin remain concerns and could be priorities for future work.
A motion to receive and file the dirt camp update passed unanimously (5-0). Staff said many of the registration and policy changes will remain in place for the coming year.
