To the editor:

I came of age in Newburyport when teens sarcastically called our hometown "Nothing-to-do-buryport." We were latchkey kids and learned our lessons the hard way, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no one to help guide us.

Fast-forward to today, where we have Andi Egmont and the Department of Recreation and Youth Services doing heroic work to keep this department alive since the closing of the Brown School. It's no exaggeration to say that their work has kept some of our most vulnerable kids alive, too. Let's not forget the mission: this department was formed as a response to the tragic deaths of teens by suicide and drunk driving, Their work supports all of us by supporting our vulnerable youth.

And now we should support Youth Services by giving them a proper place to operate their programs.

Before the Brown School was condemned, there were many occasions where I wanted to sign my son up for RYS programming, but the location was not one I could get him to safely or easily. This meant that he missed out on some really wonderful opportunities to create earlier bonds. The new rec. center is in the most convenient location possible across the street from the middle school. It is also fully Americans With Disabilities Act compliant, so kids and residents with disabilities can participate in programming.

In more recent years, my son was interested in a particular program offered by RYS, but this past March it was canceled due to a lack of space and a conflict with another program being scheduled at the same time. My son was rather disheartened, which, of course left me frustrated and sad for him as his mother. For the one single program that he wanted to participate in to get scrapped because of scheduling constraints and a lack of a proper location was a personal reminder of how vital this department is — and how functioning in this disjointed manner is unreliable, unpredictable, and unsustainable. Our youth deserve better.

And to anyone who thinks that the process leading up to the design and debt exclusion vote for the rec center is unfair: nothing could be further from the truth. As Ward 2 city councilor I've sat through dozens of meetings, and everyone who came to speak was heard. Councilors especially have had ample opportunity to voice their opinions. The consensus on the council was that the project was thoroughly vetted and therefore ready to send to the people for a vote. That's how the system works.

So now it's up to the people to vote. My husband and I are voting yes — for our son and for every other kid in Newburyport who deserves a place to go that's safe, accessible and welcoming.

JENNIE DONAHUE

Newburyport