Denver's Montbello senior community hopes rec center will reopen soon: "These are the things that keep us alive"
It's been nearly two weeks since a tragic, deadly shooting occurred at Denver's Montbello Recreation Center. It's been closed ever since, and now some community members feel its closure is negatively impacting the community.
"We're a vibrant community, and we just want our fair share," said Ann White, a member of the Montbello Golden Age Club. "We would love to see this rec center open."
White was joined by several of the more than 60 members of the club that typically meets at the rec center multiple times a week.
"An outlet for our seniors to get together, where we can all gather, have outings, dinners, luncheons, and just enjoy each other and share stories," White added.
The club gathers every Tuesday and Thursday for hours and have for decades.
"When you close a center like this, you're telling me that I don't have a place to heal myself or a place where I can walk, where I can play, where I can connect and engage with the community, said Pam Jiner. "These are the things that keep us alive, and we need this center to be reopened."
"It's depressing, it's sad," said Lawrence Murray, also a member of the club.
He acknowledges the affects the tragedy has had on the community.
"It's shocking," he added. "We feel for the family, we feel for the kids."
However, Murray and others in the club feel they've been left in the dark about the building's reopening.
"Our city fathers have taken the perspective that it's closed, it's indefinitely closed, and we're not going to tell you when we even think about opening it up," said Murray.
And, one by one, families hoping to use the rec center returned to their cars.
"It's very unfortunate, sad, heartbreaking, what happened, but we cannot isolate our children and put them in more harm by them not having a safe place to play and to engage," said Jiner.
When asked, Denver Parks and Recreation would not give CBS Colorado a timeline or date for when the Montbello Rec Center will reopen.
As for employees, DPR says they've been offered administrative leave and have been paid for scheduled hours.
