By Kyle LoJacono
The increased fee for children in Hillsborough County sponsored summer programs has done little to decrease the number of kids registered at Nye Park.
Last year the Lutz park had 125 children in the summer program. That number has only dropped to 118 this summer. The center’s director and recreation specialist Carol Legan said the higher fee has nothing to do with that small decrease.
“Pretty much everyone came back from last year,” said Legan “Some of the kids thought they had gotten too old to come back and I’d say that is where most of the drop was. We added a couple kids too, so I’d say the fee increase didn’t do anything to our numbers.”
Nye Park, 630 Sunset Lane in Lutz, offers the programs to kids ages 5 to 15. Legan became the parks director last June.
Last year the fee for the 10-week summer camp was $300. This year it costs $480 for the same program, an increase of 62.5 percent.
Hillsborough Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department spokesman John Brill said the higher fee was necessary to maintain the program’s current level.
“We were in survival mode last year with the budget crisis,” Brill said. “The department was just trying to stay afloat. At all our budget meetings the people who attended said they favored fees over closing parks and reducing services. The higher fee is letting us offer the same good summer programs to county residents.”
The higher fee did not prevent Jill Wilkins from sending her 6-year-old son Jack to Nye Park’s summer program for the first time July 19.
“I have a friend who sends her kids here and she told me they love it,” Wilkins said. “I thought it would be the perfect place for him to meet some new kids … The fee wasn’t really a big deal. The program is great and it’s still cheaper than almost any other one I’ve seen.”
Parents across the county seem to have come to the same conclusion as Wilkins.
Already, 3,500 children have participated in camps throughout Hillsborough County. Brill said the program is on target to top 5,000 participants, more than the 4,356 in summer 2009.
Brill said the department expects to raise about $1 million more than usual from the higher fee alone. He added the department offered half-summer sessions for the first time this year.
“The department felt it was fair to offer the full and half sessions this year with the increase,” Brill said. “A lot of parents said they travel for parts of the summer for vacation and only use the program for half the time, so it really works out.
“We also offer breaks and scholarships to people on free and reduced (priced) lunches at school like we always have,” Brill said. “That way those in very real need can still send their children to a good summer program.”
Wilkins said she signed Jack up for the second session because they had a vacation during the first one.
At Nye Park the children have gotten the same program they have become accustomed to during the last few years. Legan said the kids in kindergarten through fourth grade are split up from the older ones. They then rotate outdoor games with indoor activities.
“Really that was the only complaint we’ve heard since I’ve been here,” Legan said. “Parents wanted their kids to spend more time indoors, so we spend about 45 minutes to an hour outside and then go inside for the same amount of time.”
Legan said they also go on regular field trips and also have visitors who teach the children various skills.
“We had people from the 4-H Club come and teach the kids about animals, healthy eating and exercise,” Legan said. “Some people have also come and taught the kids different kinds of music. It’s called Giving Tree Music and they play African instruments. They came last year too and the children love learning about the instruments.”
Wilkins is just happy to have a safe place for her child to spend the summer.
“He seems to be having a good time,” Wilkins said. “He gets a lot of good exercise and he likes the counselors.”
For more information on Nye Park or its upcoming after-school registration, call (813) 264-3805.
Nye Park facilities
Three basketball hoops
Two tennis courts
Two softball fields
Two air-conditioned buildings
A playground
