Laurinburg has decided to open up a gym for city youth after the City Council expressed dismay with a proposed county recreation program .

The decision came after Shannon Newton, the director of Parks and Recreation, and Commissioner Guy McCook, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, appeared before council Tuesday to make a plea for Growing Young Minds, or GYM.

The program would open I. Ellis Johnson Elementary School's gym to 40 students in grades 4 through 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 6 p.m. The program would grow each year, adding an extra grade level and expanding the number served.

But council members described the county plan as too little and too late.

"This is not what we asked for," Councilman Curtis Leak said. "It's your program... There is nothing in here that resembles what we wanted."

Councilman Herbert Rainer scoffed at the exclusion of students beyond grade 6 in the program as a way to reduce school dropous.

"If he (someone in the 4th through 6th grade) dropped out, his mom would go to jail," he said.

Rainer added that the county plan was so far from the city's original version that he was expecting a county official to burst into the meeting and say, "April Fools."

Councilman Kenton Spencer expressed concern about how few people will be served and the lack of immediate summer hours.

The city had budgeted $10,000 for an open gym project, but Leak said he could not see spending $250 per child on something that would serve such a small portion of the community.

McCook defended the county proposal, saying a broader program was infeasible.

"We can't start off with a program to serve 300 students at one location with two part-time staff members," he said.

Finances are the real damper to a larger initial program, he said.

"We would love to have the city's support," McCook said. "This is a starting point."

He also expressed his frustrations with the meeting, saying county officials "misunderstood what council is asking" in an open gyms proposal.

Mayor Pro Tem Tommy Parker called on the council to support the program as it will benefit children but suggested council bypass the county department and create their own open gym program.

Mayor Matthew Block agreed, saying that many cities of comparable size have their own recreation departments because city needs often differ from county needs.

"I think it's worth spending money to make sure our recreation needs are met," Block said.

He did not see the program as a rejection of the county program.

"Everyone is very appreciative of their efforts," Block said.

Leak volunteered to organize the city's program, saying he would draft a proposal for the meeting next week.

He suggested the city program should serve children in grades 7 through 12, with the gym having a morning session for younger children and an afternoon session for older participants. There will be a physical education component and a life-skills component in his plan and he hopes to recruit local law enforcement and retired recruiters for the program.

At several council meetings in recent years, Leak reminisced about his experiences with an open gyms program in Laurinburg along with Councilman Herbert Rainer and former councilman Rembert DeBerry.

Spencer said a number of civic groups already exist to help city youth and their members would likely help the city's effort.