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Punta Gorda YMCA seeks to ease community tensions over Cooper Street access
Summary
The YMCA of Southwest Florida outlined months of programming at Cooper Street Recreation Center and pledged to widen community access after residents and local leaders pressed for more control over space at the facility the city leases to the Y.
The YMCA of Southwest Florida told the Punta Gorda City Council on Oct. 22 that it has expanded programs at the Cooper Street Recreation Center since taking the lease and said it is open to further scheduling and partnership to address community concerns about access.
The YMCA’s vice president of operations, Chris Sapp, presented a timeline of development and programming that began after the Y received keys to the building in July 2024. He said the organization hosted seniors’ drop-in hours, summer camps that supplied free lunches and snacks, tax-preparation assistance for 300 families through a United Way program, youth activities, a reading-buddies literacy program and community events including Juneteenth. “We were open and available starting in January for just seniors to come in and socialize,” Sapp said.
Local residents and neighborhood leaders used public comments…
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