LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Veterans Park and Williams Park in Lehigh Acres are great places for the community to enjoy the outdoors, but what about on those rainy Florida days where you can't go outside?
If you want to play a quick game of pick up, finding an open court can be hard in Lehigh as you don't have many options.
Locals Gwyn Gittens and Butch Swank want to change that and bring a YMCA to the community.
Gwyn Gittens said, "Gyms, and fields, and places to have sports, and after school programs, and reading programs, and mentoring, and all the things that we are ripe to have in this community. It's a thing that we need."
Gittens sits on the Southwest Florida YMCA executive board.
She said this facility will help with growth and provide resources to people who already call Lehigh home as well as provide new jobs in the area.
"To me, it's the working people that already are here and not just being concerned about those that are coming," Gittens said.
Watch Lehigh Acres Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
She asked her long time friend Butch Swank to help spread the word with a community survey on interest in the facility.
"I mean they're literally asking us what we want and need and it would be a shame if we don't actually tell them," Butch Swank said.
"There's literally no place for the community to meet...senior citizens groups. I mean you name it somebody wants to get together have a big meeting. We have nothing, so you know a Y, it could solve a lot of those issues."
The survey doesn't have an end date, but they say with more feedback, it could bring the community a YMCA. They added the ideal location would be in central Lehigh.
As of October 21, Gitten said 276 people filled out the form.
