A scaled back junior day camp will be launched at Waterdown’s Sealey Park this summer and organizers predict that this time around it will catch on and be a success. Last summer’s inaugural run turned out to be a big disappointment when cancelled two weeks into its planned eight-week run because of low enrolment.

“With additional promotion of the program, I expect it to be successful,” Hamilton’s recreation manager Julia Madden said Monday.

This summer’s camp will offer a maximum of 20 spaces for kids aged five to 11 compared to 40 last year; staff, too, has been cut back from five counselors to two.

Madden suggested that perhaps enrolment expectations were too high last year and that modifications were needed to make the program run well. But Angela DaMaia, a Waterdown mother of two, reacted strongly to the program’s cancellation last year, blaming city staff for pulling the plug too soon and not giving the new program enough time to grow.

At the time, Madden defended the decision to cancel, noting that registration numbers available the week before the camp’s scheduled opening in early July showed 14 children for each  of  the first two weeks, seven for the third week and one for the final week of July. DaMaia argued that interest was starting to build after the first week but dropped sharply when parents learned that the camp was to be discontinued.

Last year, Flamborough councilor Margaret McCarthy suggested that a more aggressive advertising campaign be launched to promote the camp, including advertising in local daycare facilities and schools as well as in the Flamborough Review. According to an email from Madden to McCarthy last week, a stronger promotional campaign is planned with local schools playing a key role in getting the information out to prospective young campers.

In addition, the new summer program guide will be available late this week or early next week and will be widely distributed in the community, said Vince Mercuri, recreation coordinator for the Waterdown/Flamborough/Dundas area. The guide will be available at all recreation facilities throughout the city and will also be distributed to local schools, Ys and children’s agencies. Also, promotional material for the Sealey Park summer camp will be sent to area churches, Fortinos, RONA and other local businesses for posting on their community boards and an ad will be placed in the Flamborough Community Guide.

The program for this year’s camp won’t be affected. Like last summer, it will offer a variety of activities, including games, crafts, special guests, movies, visits to the Dundas pool and weekly off-site trips to local attractions such as Marineland. The camp will be open from July 12 to August 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily at a cost of $125 a week.

For more information about the camp, call 905-546-2424, ext. 1396 or visit online at www.hamilton.ca/rec. Summer registration begins online today (March 4) or campers can also register at any city recreation facility.

Despite the return of the program, there is no guarantee it will remain if enrolment numbers are low.

“We will do our best to accommodate the community,” Madden said. “However, if week over week, the participation is low, despite our increased community promotion and engagement, we will review the camp program at this location.”