PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Cooper Street Rec Center in Punta Gorda has been serving its community for more than five generations.
“When I first came here I asked about the African American community and they directed me to Cooper Street,” said Anthony Willaims, who moved to Punta Gorda in 2018.
But now, it faces an uncertain future. At a council meeting on August 9, councilors spoke about the city's right to terminate the leases it owns — including the land the rec center sits on.
During a council meeting on August 23, council member William Dryburgh left those in attendance with this comment.
“When looking at these leases, that it has to do with race and I can assure you, it has nothing to do with race. The African-American community is a pillar of this society and has been intertwined with us since its beginning. As council people, we have a fiduciary responsibility to look at all the leases under our control, and that's all we are doing... period," said Dryburgh.
Fox 4 asked the city of Punta Gorda if they had plans to cancel the lease for Cooper Street Rec Center. Punta Gorda's City Manager Gregory Murray gave this response:
The City of Punta has never said we want to cancel the Cooper Street Rec Center lease. The city is reviewing all leases to insure they are legally sufficient based on statute and complying with their public purpose.
When asked if there were violations the city was aware of when it came to the rec center and its lease with the city, Murray said,
The City has not said that aspects of the current lease are not being followed. We are simply doing our due diligence to bring all of our leases to a legally sufficient state.
Fox 4 also asked what it would mean to the community if Punta Gorda lost Cooper Street Rec Center.
Yes, the Cooper Street Recreation Center is a valued resource to the community as a whole. It is important to the community that it is run properly and available for public use. The partnerships housed in the building provide key programming to solidify the fabric of our community
On Wednesday, no decisions were made by Punta Gorda city council regarding Cooper Street Rec Center.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
