The Southside of San Antonio is getting its first YMCA built near the former Mission Drive-In Theater. Part of the funding is being paid for by the city’s voter-approved bond. A native blessing is being performed as backhoes and bulldozers dig up the lot that families used to park their cars in to watch movies at the Mission Drive-in. This site will be a YMCA in a part of town in need of more wellness opportunities. “The Southside deserves just as many of the great amenities as any other part of that and this is showcasing that,” said District Three Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran. She welcomes this addition to a part of town that can often seem economically disadvantaged. “It’s going to help meet a need for providing more opportunities for family-friendly, nutrition, working out programming, all here in this phenomenal space.” A recent report by San Antonio Metro Health shows life expectancy in this area can be 5 to 10 years shorter than in other parts of the city like the North Side.

Source: Texas Public Radio