Times Observer file photo Kids participate in City of Warren Summer Playground Program in a prior year. Registration for the 2021 edition has lagged and it’s unclear how many parks will be utilized in the effort.

Registration for the city’s summer playground program continues to lag.

“Following in-person sign-ups on Monday and Tuesday, 23 parents completed applications for their children to participate in the City’s summer playground program,” City Manager Nancy Freenock said in an email to city council. “Of those 23, 7 were township residents who were informed that their children would most likely not be permitted to participate in the program because it is limited to City residents.

Applications will be accepted for another week — through May 14 — but, unless there’s a drastic uptick in registration, it’s unlikely 2019 levels were met.

Freenock said there were 130 children that participated in 2019, including 64 which were not city residents.

Staffing was anticipated to be an issue and it has been.

“We have located three individuals that wish to be employed as summer playground supervisors,” Freenock said. “If the number of City children wishing to participate does not increase dramatically, we may hold the program at only one park, employing the supervisors that have been located.

“This is assuming that Council still wishes to fund the program with only a handful of participants. If enrollment does rise dramatically, the City may still encounter a problem hiring sufficient staff, because, as you know, hiring has become even more challenging.”

Freenock said additional information will be presented at the May council meeting, which falls after the deadline for application closes.

City staff had initially decided not to hold the program — or open the CAR Pool — but were overruled by special meeting action taken by city council.