The city of Shawnee is looking to fulfill the continuing demand for a summer camp in the area by adding a city-run program next summer. At the Shawnee 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 Shawnee Civic Centre. “The demand for youth summer camps is high,” Kramer said. “Nearly all local summer camp providers are full, with waiting lists.” Citing full summer camps this year run by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District, the cities of Lenexa and De Soto and the Shawnee Mission School District, 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 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 fees paid by campers.
Source: Johnson County Post
