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City of Albany Launches New Mapping Tool to Highlight Summer Programs 

ALBANY, NY – Earlier today, Mayor Kathy Sheehan kicked off “Summertime in Albany,” highlighting the numerous recreational offerings available throughout the City of Albany this summer.

New this year, the City of Albany has developed a comprehensive map of summer programs for young people in the City that includes summer programs sponsored and organized by the City of Albany and various community-based organizations. These organizations include the City School District of Albany, Albany Public Library, Albany JCC, JMU 4 Kids, Sage, PAL, CapRep, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area, St. Rose, Capital Milestones, Club Fed Child Care Center, Center Square School, the Institute of History & Art, and the House of Hoops. The map also highlights where summer meal sites can be found.

This new map gives residents an easy-to-use tool to sort programs by location, type, age limit, cost, and whether free meals are included, and is available by visiting http://bit.ly/SummerProgramMap, on our homepage at www.albanyny.gov, and on our social media pages.

“Our goal each year is to create healthy and fun summer opportunities for every young person in our City, and we’ve made those opportunities easier to find with this new map,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “We are excited that the City’s pools are about to open for the season, and hope that all of our residents utilize the dozens of recreational facilities the City offers, including playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, handball courts, swimming pools, baseball and softball fields, spray pads, roller skating rinks, and community centers.”

If you provide summer programming and your program is not yet included on the map, please visit http://bit.ly/AddMySummerProgram to share that information so it can be included on the map.

Pool and Spray Pads Opening Schedule

• The Lincoln Park Pool will open for the season on Saturday, June 29 at 12pm, and will be open daily for the season from 12pm to 7pm for open swim.

• The Mater Christi Pool will open for the season on Saturday, June 29 at 11am, and will be open daily from 11am to 6pm.

• The Arbor Hill Community Center Pool is open daily from 12pm to 6pm.

• The 11 spray pads located throughout the City will also open on Saturday, June 29.  Spray pads will open daily from 10am to 6pm, and are located at Colonie Street Park, Hackett Park, Krank Park, Livingston Park, North Swan Street Park, Ridgefield Park, Rosemont Park, and the Sheridan, Swinburne, Westland Hills, and Upper Lincoln Spray Pools.

City of Albany Summer Camps:

Camps are offered by the City’s Department of Recreation, and are free for City of Albany residents and $50 for non-residents. Camps are offered for various activities including baseball, softball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, dance, as well as a variety of sports at the Arbor Hill Sports Complex, while space is available.

To register for a City of Albany-led camp, please visit www.albanyny.recdesk.com. If you do not have access to the internet, please call (518) 434-5699 to schedule an appointment to use our RecDesk kiosk.

Wi-Fi in the Park:

This summer, for the first time, the City is proud to partner with the Albany Public Library to bring free wireless internet to three municipal parks—Washington, Lincoln, and Bleecker-Swinburne. The project, which will be funded by the Library and maintained by the City, will provide parkgoers with free Wi-Fi in several neighborhoods where many residents lack internet service in their own homes. Click here for more information on this important partnership.

Summer Meals:

The City’s Department of Recreation will also be partnering with the Albany Housing Authority, City School District of Albany, and United Way of the Greater Capital Region for the 2019 Summer Food Service Program. This program offers free breakfast from 8am to 9am and lunch from 12pm to 1pm for those under the age of 18 at various sites around the City, including Hoffman Community Center. A complete list of summer meal sites can be found here.

Summer Youth Employment Program:

The City of Albany is again hosting our annual LIGHT (Learning, Initiative and Gaining Headway Together) Summer Youth Employment Program. This program is designed to provide any young City of Albany resident, age 14-18, with a summer work experience.

LIGHT received a Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for its Friday enrichment program, which includes a financial literacy workshop, a tour at UAlbany, a career exploration workshop, and a “Know Your Rights” program led by representatives from the Albany Police Department and the Center for Law and Justice.

This “fifth day” of enrichment resulted from input from parents, participants, and community leaders to make sure Albany’s youth are exposed to the broad opportunities that are available to them as they plan for their futures.

New this year, the City of Albany also received a $10,000 grant from the United States Conference of Mayors’ DollarWise: Mayors for Economic Mobility initiative and Bank of America. The funds will expand our Summer Youth Employment Program to help focus on youth whose parents are immigrants or are returning from incarceration.

The program runs five (5) days per week for five (5) weeks. The first date of employment is Monday, July 8th, and the last is Friday, August 9th.

Please keep in mind all information about the Department of Recreation opportunities and offerings can be found on our website, www.albanyny.gov, or by calling (518) 434-5699.

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