Harlem Heights cultural center near

Construction of the $4.5 million Harlem Heights Cultural Arts and Community Center in south Fort Myers is on schedule.

Harlem Heights is on schedule with its plan to enrich its community by building a $4.5 million Harlem Heights Cultural Arts and Community Center.

The center, which is going up on a donated 5-acre parcel of land on Hagie Drive in south Fort Myers, is scheduled to be completed in October if everything continues to run smoothly.

"They are putting the roof on this week and we are on schedule," said Kathryn Kelly, the executive director of the Heights Foundation that is spearheading the project.

Construction on the 14,000-square-foot community center began in January and its completion will give Harlem Heights residents a new place to gather.

The building includes a 250-seat meeting hall and auditorium, outdoor and indoor stages, art room, gallery, classrooms, teen and adult lounges, a computer center and full industrial kitchen.

"It's been a dream of the residents of the community for a long time and we realized that there was no cultural arts center in that part of town," said Kelly, noting that the facility will become a landmark for the area. "It's a very close-knit community and they just want a

place where they can gather as a neighborhood."

And, gathering at the center will be easy for residents who already frequent the neighboring Lee County Parks & Recreation community park. The park has plans to partner with the new center and offer programs residents don't enjoy now.

"Some of my students live in Harlem Heights and this will be a good opportunity for them to participate in extracurricular enrichment activities," said Diane Salko, the principal at Heights Elementary school that is less than a mile from the construction site. "It will give them more options and that's just one more thing that will help build this community even stronger than it is."

The Heights Foundation has $4.8 million pledged and needs another $500,000 to furnish the building. An undetermined amount of money is necessary to start an endowment and it will cost about $500,000 a year to operate the facility.

Kelly said the future holds plenty for the center although final plans for programs are being worked out.

Some of those will be programs for children and adults such as a hot lunch program for seniors, computer classes and music and dance. It might also be possible to host the annual Harlem Heights Festival at the center as well.

"The residents have been asking for this for a long time and now they will get it," Kelly said.