It took two years from conception to fruition, but the doors to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County’s remarkable new 14,000-square-foot expansion facility, adjacent to the existing Vero Beach Boys & Girls Club on 17th Avenue, were formally opened last Wednesday afternoon. Board members, funders and staff were joined by city and county officials, community members and others who helped make the dream a reality for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the spacious new facility.
The impressive new building sits on the site of a county jail turned city recreation center and storage facility. The extension more than doubles the adjacent 12,000-square-foot facility and includes the Jake Owen Performing Arts Center, featuring a music room and dance studio, two large classrooms, a gymnasium and plenty of outdoor recreational space.
“On this piece of property there was an old building that was not being used anymore,” said BGCIRC Executive Director Elizabeth Thomason. “The county was looking to sell the property and our board co-chair, Jay McNamara, and Louis Schacht, who was board chair of St. Francis Manor, went to the county commission and asked them to add the property to each of our current leases so we could expand and take in 125 more children.”
The tight 3-to-2 vote to lease the 3.8 acres enabled the expansion of both neighboring properties – the new building for the children and additional residential housing for the low-income seniors at St. Francis Manor. The demolition and construction of the BGC facility, funded through a $4 million capital campaign, took one year to complete.
“I am reminded of the day I was talking to some teens here and they said, ‘You know we need that building over there,’ ” said Vero Beach Club Director Toccara Byrd. “We started writing letters to Ms. E. [Thomason] to see if we could get it done. What I didn’t tell them is that although I believed in them, I did not believe we could make it happen. This shows our kids that all they need is one idea and to work really hard to make something happen.”
Board co-chairman Bill Munn said he was happy that 125 children can now come off their wait list, keeping them off the streets and moving in a positive direction.
“We have a lot of people to thank,” said Munn. “Because the county leased us the land for $1 per year and our donors have completely paid for the building, all of the fundraising money we now receive can go directly to our programs.”
Munn also praised Edlund, Dritenbass and Binkley Architects, MVB Engineering and Proctor Construction for “coming in on time and under budget” to finish the project.
“I call them the A-Team because working with them was pure joy. Everything should go so easily,” added Thomason.
Munn said the need for after-school programs in Indian River County was great, citing that 60 percent of households are single-parent homes and more than 40 percent of school-aged children live in households under the $20,000 poverty level.
“This building isn’t just about bricks and mortar and money,” said Munn. “I want you to remember that on this property there used to be a jail that held adults that strayed in life. All of them were children at some point who learned the wrong things as they grew. We have taken a jail and turned it into chance and opportunity for the children to learn to become meaningful adults who will contribute to the community and have a better life.”
