Charlotte County Cultural Center to be demolished and rebuilt

Reporter: Olivia Jean Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:

This week, Charlotte County Commissioners voted in favor of demolishing and rebuilding the vacant Charlotte County Cultural Center.

The center, located on Aaron Street, has been unoccupied since 2021, with a small portion of the building being occupied by the Port Charlotte Public Library.

Now, people are pushing them to get it done and reopen the center as soon as possible.

“I hope to see a bigger and better establishment,” said Thea Morgan, a resident of Port Charlotte. “I enjoyed the educational programs, most of all, the different classes that they offered, which was reasonably priced.”

The center closed after the non-profit agency that operated the building ended its lease with the county. The second blow was Hurricane Ian.

“We’ve had several consultants come in to help do investigations of the damages and do evaluations of the damages,” said Travis Perdue, director of the facilities department in charlotte County.

The Charlotte County Commission voted to demolish the entire site and build a brand-new cultural center.

“It was very important to the citizens of the community to have a cultural center in Charlotte County,” said Perdue, “so we share that with them. That’s how we got to where we are now.”

About 3,000 Charlotte County residents gave input and pushed the importance of this center.

Now, the county plans to get the details down in the upcoming meetings.

Frank Shaves volunteered at the center for 10 years, working in the clothes department and helping members of the community find some new styles.

“It was a place for everybody in Charlotte County,” said Shaves. “It was a haven. It was really nice for everybody.”

The neighbors of the property are also excited, even if it means several years of construction.

“It’s one of Port Charlotte’s main activities for people here,” said Morgan, “so it’s really an awesome idea.”

During the next session, Charlotte County commissioners hope to define the budget and the scope of the next phase of planning, with the goal of opening the new center sometime in 2028.

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