Rockaway Beach workshop hears plan for city-funded free summer camp serving local youth

At a June 10 City Council workshop, North County Recreation District executive director Justin outlined a city-supported pilot summer camp intended to expand recreational opportunities for children in Rockaway Beach. The proposed seven-week program would run July 6 through Aug. 21 at the middle school and serve 20 youths per week at no charge; if every week enrolled different children the pilot could reach up to 140 young people. “Our goal is simple, create more opportunities for local kids,” Justin said.

Justin said the district secured donated transportation (a 14-seat passenger bus) and the school has provided space at no cost. He told council the district expects some in-kind support as well as a budget amendment: the city’s budget committee added $13,000 for the program and Justin said the district had another roughly $5,000 toward costs. City staff signaled they will prepare an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and a check to NCRD; Justin said he hoped to share an IGA draft for council review by the end of the week. Councilors pressed staff on eligibility and registration priorities — several urged a short priority-registration window for Rockaway Beach residents before opening leftover slots to neighboring towns and second homeowners, while NCRD staff described a wait-list and a three-day no-show contact policy to maximize capacity.

The workshop is advisory only; no binding council action was taken. Staff said they would bring a final agreement and reporting expectations back to a regular meeting. The council asked that reports include daily attendance, an address or ZIP-code breakdown of participants, and parent feedback to support evaluation and potential expansion.