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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: May 1, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Summer Day Camp Proposal <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager's Office PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />4/23/08 RPAC Letter <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Willie Best, 245-2308 <br />Nancy Coston, 245-2802 <br />PURPOSE: To propose the County appropriate funds for sponsorships for certain summer day <br />camp programs in lieu of continuing the County's summer day camp program. <br />BACKGROUND: Based on the County's discontinuance of its summer day camp and a <br />request from the BOCC for a sponsorship proposal, the Board of Commissioners, at its April 15, <br />2008 BOCC meeting, reviewed a proposal from the County Manager regarding the County <br />providing $10,000 in scholarships or "camperships" to qualifying summer day camp participants <br />to attend other summer day camps in the County. The Board reviewed the Manager's proposal <br />and provided positive feedback. However, the Board did not approve the proposal pending <br />feedback from the Social Services Board and the Recreation & Parks Advisory Council (RPAC) <br />on the proposal. <br />At the April 21, 2008 Social Services Board meeting, Department of Social Services (DSS) <br />Director Nancy Coston requested and the Social Services Board approved the use of one-time <br />funding to subsidize summer day camp participants whose families fall at or below the 200% <br />federal poverty level. This is the same guideline used for DSS childcare subsidy. RPAC met <br />on April 22"a and discussed the action under consideration by the Board of Commissioners. <br />RPAC was pleased that a portion of the need for a low cost summer program would be met with <br />the use of the $10,000 from DSS. RPAC did however voice three areas of concern addressed <br />in the attached letter dated April 23~a <br />The $10,000 from DSS would be principally used to partially offset higher costs associated with <br />alternative camps and, as in the past, would be allocated on a sliding scale basis. To address <br />the loss of the low-cost Parks and Recreation program, the monies proposed would be used for <br />the Cooperative Extension 4-H summer day camp program and the SportsPlex and Orange <br />County Schools summer day camps programs. The Orange County Parks and Recreation <br />Summer Camp cost was $80. Cost for the summer 4-H (Summer Sizzle) program is $100; <br />SportsPlex Summer Camp costs $185; and the Orange County Schools camp program costs <br />