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GROSSE POINTE CITY — A new software program will make it easier and more convenient for Grosse Pointe City residents to register for recreation programs.
The current program, RecPro — which the city acquired in 2009 — is being discontinued on Sept. 30, 2025, Parks and Recreation Coordinator Rebecca Jenzen told the Grosse Pointe City Council at a meeting Feb. 10. As a result, they need to switch to a new program.
Jenzen said they looked at five software providers and got presentations from all of them, but only two — Civic Rec and Rec Desk — met most of the city’s needs. And of those two, only Civic Rec has the ability at this time to print and issue membership cards — such as park passes — directly through the program, rather than having to buy additional card-printing software, she said.
The cost to the city will be a one-time installation fee of $7,588 and a fee of $3,500 for usage of the software for the first year, and $3,675 for software usage for the second year.
City Councilman Christopher Walsh asked Jenzen if the local communities that use recreation software, such as the Grosse Pointes and St. Clair Shores, had explored the possibility of getting a discount if several of them decided to go with Civic Rec. Jenzen said they hadn’t. She said the Park had already switched to Civic Rec before the city and Grosse Pointe Shores last summer opted to go with Rec Desk. Some of the other cities haven’t made a decision yet.
“Our price point is lower than the other (neighboring) communities because it is based on the amount of money running through the software,” Jenzen said.
Because Grosse Pointe City is smaller, the number of people registered for its programs and lessons is smaller as well.
Jenzen said they had originally wanted to try to sign up for the new software as a group of municipalities, but that didn’t happen. She added that the new software cost is “actually less than we’re paying now,” and that Civic Rec reduced their original price quote for the city.
“Trying to find a software that meets our needs was very difficult,” Jenzen said.
Jenzen said residents who want to register for programs via the website now are taken from the city’s site to a separate site, and the same will be true with Civic Rec.
One of the big advantages of Civic Rec is that unlike RecPro, which only permitted one email address per household to use as a login, Jenzen said Civic Rec will allow households to have multiple email addresses.
“That’s huge,” Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak said. “(It’s) quite an overdue improvement.”
All scheduling rentals and session-based class reservations can be made on the new software as well, Jenzen said. She said the software will also allow the city to sell items at Neff Park.
Being able to register for more programs and rentals online will improve ease and convenience for residents.
“People are going to be very happy about that,” City Councilman Seth Krupp said.
However, Jenzen said people still need to make an appointment to get their park pass because parks and recreation staff need to confirm their residency. Because the park gets the most usage during the summer, she said they have staffers available for this purpose six to eight hours a day and on weekends in the summer.
The council unanimously approved the new software purchase, but asked administrators to ask about additional possible discounts on the program.
Because of the lead time needed to make the change and implement the new software program, Jenzen said they won’t be switching to Civic Rec until the fall — after the busy summer season.
