For residents of the Lincoln Park neighborhood in west Denver, the fight over the La Alma Recreation Center is more than just about preserving services - which most certainly is a major component.
No, for this predominantly Chicano community, the fight for La Alma is also about history - it’s about soul.
More than 30 years ago Chicano leaders took to City Hall where they demanded that their neighborhood be given a public recreation center to be operated by Parks and Recreation. They won.
Now, three decades later, the city has proposed transitioning the center to a private non-profit group such as the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver. The proposal comes as the city faces a $120 million budget shortfall. Not wanting to close the center completely, city officials view the proposal as one that could save the recreation center.
Another three recreation centers have also been proposed for a transition, but La Alma has been the most controversial.
To read full Denver Daily News article by Peter Marcus, click here.
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