The city of Shawnee is looking to fulfill the continuing demand for summer camps in the area by adding a city-run program next summer.
At the Shawnee City Council Committee meeting on July 8, City Manager Paul Kramer outlined the city’s 2025 budget proposal, which includes a summer camp run by the city’s parks and recreation department at the Shawnee Civic Centre.
“The demand for youth summer camps is high,” Kramer said. “Nearly all local summer camp providers are full, with waiting lists.”
Shawnee does not have a summer camp
Citing full summer camps this year run by the cities of Lenexa and De Sot, as well as the Shawnee Mission School District’s Summer Enrichment program, among others, Kramer suggested it was time for Shawnee to explore their options.
“The problem is that Shawnee families currently search outside city limits for summer camp options,” he said.
In the city’s 2024 Parks and Recreation needs assessment survey, people said they wanted a summer camp for their kids in the area.
“The summer camp fulfills one of the unmet needs,” Kramer said.
The program would accept up to 70 children at first
The proposal in the city budget would create a fully licensed, 10-week pilot summer camp at the Shawnee Civic Center for 2025 that includes field trips.
The proposal includes hiring 12 new seasonal employees. Their pay would be fully funded by program revenues brought in primarily through camper fees.
Hiring the employees would not take away from hiring lifeguards in the area, Kramer said.
“We have had some questions about whether this would cannibalize other (jobs), like our lifeguards,” Kramer said. “Through some research we’ve done, there’s not necessarily a crossover between those who would want to be a camp counselor and those who would want to do the lifeguard duties, so we do not believe it would hurt our aquatics programming.”
The program comes with costs
The program is designed to cover all costs through camp revenue, Kramer said.
Estimated annual revenue totals about $126,000, generated through a weekly fee of $180 per camper.
Camp expenses total an estimated $104,250, including staffing, transportation, supplies, field trip admissions and uniforms.
“It’s the first year so things happen, and so we’ve given ourselves sort of that $20,000 cushion, then we believe that this camp will pay for itself,” Kramer said.
Council expressed support for more kids’ programs
While most of the council committee who spoke expressed excitement, there was some skepticism.
While acknowledging the need for more kids’ summer activities, Councilmember Tony Gillette was worried it might overcrowd the Shawnee Civic Centre.
“I’m intrigued about it. I’m always looking to support the youth in our community,” he said. “But I’m kind of worried with the limited space that we have, whether or not we’re trying to cram something in there …. (and) changing or reducing programs or anything like that.”
There is no worry about space, Kramer replied.
“The space was accounted for in this,” he said. “We are sort of, technically, running this as a pilot program to see how it goes the first year. But space was taken into account.”
Other councilmembers said they’re excited at a potential new camp for kids in the area.
“As a mom of two young kids who has tried to get them in summer camps for the past couple of years, I love the proposal of the summer camp,” Councilmember Laurel Burchfield said “I think that’ll be a huge benefit to the city and a huge benefit to our residents.”
Councilmember Jeanie Murphy agreed.
“I know that a lot of people struggle to figure out what to do with the kids in the summer. So I think this would be a great thing to offer them,” she said.
What’s next?
To give the public a better understanding of the proposed 2025 budget, the city will host a Budget Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, at Shawnee 1929 Town Hall, 11600 Johnson Dr.
The council will vote on the final 2025 budget at its Aug. 26 meeting
Go deeper: Watch Kramer’s 2025 budget proposal to the council committee
