Summer Recreation Camp registration opens online at 8 a.m. Tuesday
March 6, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti For many Waterbury families with school-aged kids, Town Meeting Day means more than showing up to vote – it’s the day to sign up for summer recreation camp.
This year is no different.
Tuesday at 8 a.m., online registration at waterburyrec.com opens for spots in the popular eight-week day camp for youngsters from kindergarten through seventh grade. There is no in-person option to sign up.
Summer Recreation Camp kids and their counselors make their way to the pool. File photo by Gordon Miller
Parents doing registrations should be careful to use their child’s grade today when filling out the form, explained Waterbury Recreation Program Coordinator Wyatt O’Brien.
Summer day camp starts on June 26 and ends Aug. 19 and there’s room for about 170 campers to enroll. The program this summer will continue to spread out across three locations in town based on age:
Up to 30 pre-k and kindergarteners will be at the Recreation building at Anderson Park per day
About 100 students in grades 1-4 will be at St. Leo’s Hall (at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 109 S. Main St.)
Approximately 40-50 students in grades 5-7 will be at Wesley United Methodist Church (56 S. Main St.)
Camp also runs a junior counselor program by invitation/interview. Contact the Recreation Department to find out more.
Camp runs on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and O’Brien said field trips will return this summer. Excursions are planned for campers to visit Waterbury Reservoir State Park, Elmore State Park, Boulder Beach State Park at Lake Groton, and Kingsland Bay State Park in Ferrisburgh.
Families may sign up for the full eight weeks or for one-week periods. Fees vary with lower rates for Waterbury residents. The eight-week program is $775 for residents, $875 for non-residents; single weeks are $180 for residents, $210 for non-residents.
Registration often fills up on the morning of opening day. A $50 deposit within 10 days of signing up holds a spot with full payment due in two installments by the end of April and the end of May.
For more information, contact O'Brien at recprograms@waterburyvt.com or Day Camp Directors Laura Ladieu and Skylar Bradley at daycamp@waterburyvt.com.
O’Brien said that registration for summer swim lessons and other weeklong recreation-themed camps will be announced further into spring. Shorter camps are planned for other activities such as basketball, biking, STEM activities and culinary arts. “There’s going to be many other options,” O’Brien added.
O’Brien currently is the top full-time Recreation Department staff member for the town. The Recreation Director position has not been filled after former Director Nick Nadeau resigned in the summer 2022. Hiring for that position was put on hold as the Municipal Manager position was filled in the fall with the aim for the new manager to hire the Recreation head. Municipal Manager Tom Leitz has said he is looking to fill the director position this summer with the goal of having both a director and program coordinator to oversee both day-to-day operations and long-term planning.
In addition, the proposed town budget for 2023 contains $12,000 in the recreation capital budget for a study of the town pool to assess its maintenance needs and potential future work needed to the facility.