Seward's Parks and Recreation Department reclaimed responsibility for teen programming at the start of this year.

Only a few weeks after reopening a renovated Teen Rec Room, which had been dormant since 2019, the Seward City Council on Monday, Feb. 10, approved funding a full-time dedicated staff member for the program.

Seward's Parks and Recreation Department reclaimed responsibility for teen programming at the start of this year, after a new agreement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula said that the clubs would "refocus" on younger children.

Seward's Teen Rec Room, located in the same facility as the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula and the Seward Senior Center, was renovated and reopened on Jan. 20.

"Right off the bat, we had 16 teens show up," Seward Parks and Recreation Director Melanie Hauze told the council on Feb. 10. She asked the council to approve funding for a full-time position that had been left vacant when parks and recreation relinquished teen programming in 2019.

"The teen rec room is in need of a full-time staff member who can create a safe, supportive environment where teens can build social skills, navigate challenges and receive mentorships," she said. "Having a devoted, full-time position ensures program consistency -- which we're going for -- allowing for better planning and long-term sustainability."

City Manager Kat Sorensen told the council that the teen room had seen consistent attendance by 10 to 15 youths every day since it reopened. The request, she said, is to appropriate $75,000 -- covering both salary and benefits -- to fund one of two positions that have been left vacant for years, but which were never wholly terminated.

The other position will remain unfilled, Sorensen said.

The council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution authorizing the appropriation.

A full recording of the city council meeting can be found at "City of Seward" on YouTube.