I was deeply saddened to read The Durango Herald’s news story about The Hive losing its lease downtown. Upon searching the company listed as the owner of the building, two results came up: one in Seattle and one in in Greenville, South Carolina.
While I’m unsure which of these two search results is the owner, what is clear is that neither of these companies are located in Durango or even the surrounding area and, therefore, likely do not understand the utility and benefit of this youth resource in our community.
The Hive has proven itself to be invaluable to so many young people in Durango, as it offers low-cost and free programming in an inclusive, substance-free environment. It fills a community gap that few other organizations do, providing a drop-in a space for underserved and underrepresented youth with its unique offerings of skateboarding, art and music.
If you have never been in the space, it is worth checking out.
While the news story did not mention who would be taking over the lease on July 1, I can’t help but assume it will be a realty office, financial planning group or something of the sort that doesn’t add the same community-level value that The Hive does.
I hope I am wrong and, at the very least, another nonprofit that serves the community fills the space, but we will see. If the building were locally owned, perhaps the future of The Hive would not be threatened.
Claire Whitmore
Durango
