Dear Editor:
(Note: The following letter was also sent to Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt.)
This is a request to the School Board by the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club Advisory Committee to keep Belle Terre open and ongoing while fees for memberships and medical groups pick up as the pandemic gets under control.
I represent BTSRAC 501c3 nonprofit that worked with the School Board in 2015 to keep Belle Terre open. When the pandemic struck, Belle Terre was shut down for two months. People were told to restrict their activities and stay at home as best they could. It is remarkable that when 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 memberships are compared, paying members have only gone down from 1,378 to 1,243 and during these same periods Silver Sneakers, Renew Active, Silver and Fit and Florida Health Care are all up. The problem is that frequency of visits is down. School system employees can use the Belle Terre facilities for free. It appears few of them are. Some of the comments indicated