Rec Center Resuming Full Saturday Hours, Adds Programs; Center 4 Life Reopening in January

by SC Publisher Shannen Hayes

The Sanibel Recreation Center will resume full hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturdays starting Nov. 21 and expanded programming will begin Nov. 16 by a unanimous vote of the City Council. The Center 4 Life was also approved to reopen Jan. 4 by council.

The Sanibel Recreation Center.

The current Center 4 Life building and CHR offices on the corner of Library Way and Palm Ridge Road. SC photo by Chuck Larsen

The Recreation Center will add youth swim team practices three days per week, extend lap pool reservations until 4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, offer fee-based fitness classes, aquatic fitness classes and indoor pick-up Pickleball on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The Center 4 Life will offer fee-based fitness classes, card/tile games, educational classes and arts and crafts classes. Mayor Kevin Ruane, along with the other council members, voiced hesitancy at reopening the senior center.

But Ruane said he knew some Center 4 Life members have been meeting at people’s homes since the center closed in March and Councilman Richard Johnson said some Center 4 Life activities have been taking place at the Sanibel Community House.

The total budget impact of resuming full Saturday hours and expanding programs at the Recreation Center and reopening the senior center is $190,000 – $38,108 for full Saturday hours, $129,476 for the expanded programming and $21,325 to reopen Center 4 Life.

Johnson, who is the liaison to Community Housing & Resources, said he was going to recommend CHR continue operating outside the Center 4 Life building that it shares.