To the editor:

I remember being taken aback the first time I realized what Newburyport Recreation and Youth Services had been relegated to after they lost access to the Brown School and its gym. A single step into the closet-sized office at City Hall and I was shoulder to shoulder with two of the tireless people who have fought to make the most of the lack of a permanent home.

Since 2021, they have cobbled together programming in a pop-up tent (yes, the backyard kind) and a church basement on Purchase Street. From having an after-school drop-in program that alone attracted nearly half of Nock Middle School students pre-pandemic, the revenue-generating RYS has been forced to cut anything that does not fit weather and space considerations — and it adds up to a lot. The ones being sidelined are the kids in our community, especially those with limited means.

Now, we finally have an opportunity to put an end to their struggle and make an investment that will pay dividends by voting "Yes" for the new Newburyport Recreation Center and gym on May 13. This well-vetted proposal is years in the making and smartly reuses a city-owned building right across from the Nock on Low Street. Another plus: it comes at a cost that is as low as it will ever get. Let's not pretend otherwise.

For our household, I used the nifty cost calculator on the Yes campaign's website (www.yesfortherec.com) to find out the net tax increase based on our home's assessed value. It came to $14 — a year. If that's not a no-brainer, I don't know what is.

ULRIKA GERTH

Newburyport