Some West Lakes neighbors oppose proposed Boys & Girls Club

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A proposal to build a Boys & Girls Club in the West Lakes community received a hot reception Tuesday night during a neighborhood meeting.

The Boys & Girls Club is being proposed for a site adjacent to the Pendana at West Lakes mixed-income apartment community that is being built on Orange Center Boulevard by Lift Orlando.

The proposed club was announced earlier this month in conjunction with a pledge by former Darden Restaurants Inc. CEO Clarence Otis to donate up to $4 million to construct the club.

During Tuesday night’s meeting at the Rock Lake Neighborhood Center, Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill complained that she wasn’t briefed in advance about the Boys & Girls Club plan. Lift officials apologized for the oversight.

Several people at the packed meeting said they would rather have a new YMCA club rather than a Boys & Girls Club.

Some of those opposed expressed concern that the Boys & Girls Club would attract too many children, noise and other problems to the community. In addition, they suggested there were other programs in the area already helping children, such as the Frontline Outreach Center.

Senior citizens said they preferred a YMCA because it would likely offer programs and facilities they could use.

The issue generated so much discussion that Lift officials promised to hold a separate meeting within the next week or so to fully discuss the concerns of residents and consider alternatives.

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