Boys & Girls Club unveils building expansion

The Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday and opened its doors to the public to tour its newly enlarged building.

"We've had so much local support we want to make sure everyone had a chance to see what they helped pay for," said Krista Solomon, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club.

The ceremony marked the culmination of a nearly $1.9 million 5,700-square-foot expansion of the old Devlin School building, where the club is currently housed. An additional 2,400 square feet of space was renovated and include two old classrooms that will now be used as office space.

The newly revised building includes an ADA accessible entrance, a widened foyer, revamped bathrooms, a ramp leading into the game room and a full-service kitchen as well as several storage rooms and a 4,000-square-foot multipurpose room.

Construction started last July and was funded through a mix of foundation grants and private donations.

The additional space will allow the club to increase its 200-child-a-day membership cap to 250.

The new multipurpose room will afford the club space to hold its annual festival of trees fundraiser on site. Previously, the club had to hold its December fundraiser in offsite locations provided by other organizations.

Groups will also be able to rent out the multipurpose room for $500 and the kitchen for $100 for events on weekends and during hours when the club is not open. The club has a policy for renting out the space that can be made available to interested parties.

The new kitchen facilities also enable the club to cook and serve as many as 36,000 meals it provides to children each year. Previously, the club had to rely on mobile cooking devices such as crock pots and grills.

Landscaping still needs to be completed and construction will begin this fall on a new fitness park for the club.

For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, people can visit its website at http://bgchi-line.net.