Last month, the Rogers Road Community Center was shut down because it violated fire and safety codes.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners should prioritize reopening the center, which is a major source of support for the community.
The county owes it to the Rogers Road community to reinstate the center.
The predominantly African-American, low-income community has been home to the county’s landfill since 1972.
The deadline to close it has been extended several times and now stands at June 2013.
After 40 years, the county’s pledge to fulfill its promise for sidewalks and a stable community recreation center has still not come to fruition.
It is taking the county decades to shut down the landfill — but it closed down the community center after only two years.
Mark Dorosin, who was elected to the board in May, has been vocal about fulfilling the county’s social and health-related obligations to Rogers Road. The rest of the board should follow suit and act promptly and decisively in helping this community.
With Orange County’s Habitat for Humanity as a willing partner, the county ought to commit now.
