EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected. Among the corrections are the source of quotes and titles. Information is added about an application for state funds and a time line.
PORT ANGELES — The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula is applying for state funds to build a new clubhouse for the Port Angeles unit at an estimated $4.5 million to $5 million.
The project would build a 14,000-square-foot clubhouse at the corner of Lauridsen Boulevard and South Francis Street, Boys & Girls Clubs management announced to about 30 guests at a community breakfast Tuesday morning.
The clubhouse would include a gymnasium, computer labs, art rooms, a teen center and some outdoor space.
The current clubhouse is at capacity. It consists of a converted 4,000-square-foot four-plex apartment building and a detached 2,000-square-foot teen center, which combine to serve about 140 children per day.
“It’s going to be going away soon,” said Norma Turner, a member of the board for the Port Angeles unit and of the corporate board.
The current Port Angeles clubhouse, located in the Mount Angeles View Family Housing complex, would be torn down when the Peninsula Housing Authority reaches Phase 3 of its current redevelopment plan.
A corner of the housing authority property on Lauridsen Boulevard has been designated as the location for the new clubhouse.
The new structure is expected to cost $4 million to build, plus additional funds for equipment, Turner said.
Fundraising efforts have already begun, starting with grant-writing, said Steve Deutermann, a member of the Port Angeles unit board.
The group is applying for youth recreation facility funds from the state Department of Commerce which, if approved, could provide a state match of up to 25 percent of eligible costs.
“We could get up to $1 million in costs from the state,” said Mary Budke, executive director of the clubs, which includes the Port Angeles and Sequim units.
The deadline for application is Thursday, May 26.
If all goes well, then the notification of preliminary review would be expected in late June and a recommendation would be sent to the governor by September that he include the funds in his proposed capital budget when he presents it to the state Legislature in December.
If approved by the Legislature, dispersal of funds would begin in September 2017.
If a recommendation is made to the governor in September, then the Boys & Girls Clubs board would consider kicking off a capital campaign and writing grant applications to raise funds for the building, Budke said.
Naming rights would be offered to name the clubhouse and individual rooms. Sponsors would have their names on plaques in the rooms they have named.
Modeled on a recently built Boys & Girls Club in Vancouver, Wash., the proposed clubhouse would be similar to the national average Boys & Girls Clubs unit in size, Turner said.
Clubhouse plans include dedicated parking with access from Lauridsen Boulevard, easier access to bus routes and LEED-certified silver, meaning it will meet strict environmental building and operational standards.
In most cities, multiple clubhouses serve neighborhoods according to population, and Port Angeles, with about 20 percent of the population 17 and younger, would be expected to have two, Turner said.
Turner said that if the new clubhouse exceeds capacity, then the unit might begin looking for an alternate location for the west side of town. There are no plans to do this now.
Currently, children are bused to the clubhouse from Dry Creek and Hamilton and Jefferson elementary schools.
The 30,000-square-foot Carroll C. Kendall Unit Boys & Girls Club in Sequim is a large unit, but not atypical. It serves 300 children per day and is used for community events, Deutermann noted.
It was built as the result of a successful capital campaign capped with a large gift from the Kendall family.
Don Kendall named it for his father, the late Carrol C. Kendall, who was a dairy farmer in Sequim.
Don Kendall, who was born in Sequim, is a former CEO and chairman of the board of PepsiCo.
In both the Port Angeles and Sequim locations, families pay a $30-per-year membership per child, although scholarships are available.
“No child is turned away,” Budke said.
Community fundraising efforts cover the remaining cost, estimated to be about $1,500 per child, she said.
Each member gets a meal when he or she arrives after school, and the club serves three meals a day during summer activities.
Both clubhouses are open year-round during weekdays and Saturday evenings in Sequim.
