Cooking with 'Cheese Curd' — page A5 Easter photos — A4 World Down Syndrome Day — B6
IN THIS ISSUE BUSINESS NEWS A2 | SOCIETY A7 | OBITUARIES A12 SPORTS B1 | POLITICS B9 | PUBLIC NOTICES B13
2022 — APA DIVISION D GENERAL EXCELLENCE DESIGNATION — 2023 COVERING LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Vol. 16, No. 25 Opelika, Alabama Thursday, March 28, 2024 Your hometown newspaper created 'for local people, by local people.'
www.opelikaobserver.com
PARENTS SEEK ANSWERS FOR CANCELED PROGRAM
OPELIKA — Parents of children enrolled in a successful gymnastics program offered through Opelika Parks and Recreation have been shocked to discover that the program is being canceled. On the morning of March 19, Opelika Parks and Recreation issued a statement on its website saying that the Denson Drive Recreation Center, where Opelika Power Athletics has a tumbling and gymnastics gym, would be temporarily closing this summer for necessary repairs. The renovations, according to the statement, would commence following the conclusion of the spring athletics session and be completed before the fall session begins. Later that morning, parents of children in the gymnastics program received a personal email from Parks and Recreation informing them that the program was being terminated, without giving a specific
reason for the cancellation. Instead, parents were referred to other similar programs in surrounding areas. “We were shocked,” said Kristie Howell, whose nineyear-old daughter has been enrolled in the gymnastics program for the past five years. “We’ve watched our children grow and excel in so many positive ways. In addition to the physical benefits, my daughter has learned the importance of discipline and teamwork, which has boosted her confidence and self-esteem.” Howell said her daughter recently attended a competition in Georgia where she won first place all-around in her age group. “The people who hosted the event were very complementary of all our kids, telling us that we should be proud of the outstanding instruction they were receiving in Opelika,” Howell added. Kaleia Williams, mother of an eight-year-old daughter who has been in the program
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
BY DAVID BELL FOR THE OBSERVER
Pictured above, the Opelika Power Athletics gymnastics team after participating in the 2023 National Gymnastics Day. for four years, said her child just finished her first year of competition, and recently placed first in floor exercise among 45 participants at an event in Auburn.
“She absolutely loves it,” said Williams. “It would just be a shame if she couldn’t continue with her friends in an environment that is familiar to them.”
On the evening of March 19, some of the parents attended a meeting of the Opelika City Council to express their concerns. The next morning, parent representative
Kaleia Williams received an email from Mayor Gary Fuller that contained a memo providing clarification from Parks
See GYMNASTICS, page A3
Student pilot walks away from crash PHOTO BY JERRY BALLAS | FOR THE OBSERVER
Authorities inspect an Auburn University plane that crashed Sunday, March 24, in Auburn. According to citizens who were nearby and rendered aid, the pilot was not seriously injured.
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