The current Montbello Recreation Center at 4397 Crown Blvd. will continue to operate under a no-cost plan for operation by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver under a cooperative agreement with the city.

Under a cooperative services agreement with Denver, the Boys and Girls Clubs will be responsible for maintaining the center to city standards and for operating its program at no cost to the city.

Under the original plan, the current center was to have been closed for budget reasons.

Neighbors had the option of funding an expansion of the current center or building a new one, not both. The community opted for the new center but regretted no funds were available to continue operation of the old center, due to growing demand in one of the city's fastest growing areas.

"This is great way to add to recreation services in Montbello at no added cost to the city,'' Webb says. We will have a new state-of-the-art new facility and a friendly, familiar neighborhood center. The best part of this agreement is that there will be no interruption of service at the site next to the library."

Councilwoman Happy Haynes adds, "We've worked for a long time with Montbello families on this project and this is a win-win solution for all the families in Northeast Denver."

Under the cooperative services agreement, the city will allow the Boys and Girls Club to operate the facility and support all operational costs and all capital maintenance. The city will close the swimming pool and make the land available to the Boys and Girls Club for other programming.

Lawyers are finalizing details of the agreement, scheduled to be signed this summer.