A new clubhouse, Boys and Girls! Kennewick site will open in 2018

Kennewick is getting a new Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties clubhouse in a community that needs it.

The group announced it raised about $3.6 million of the $4.3 million needed for the new 20,000-square-foot facility and playground in east Kennewick.

The 10-block area that will be served by the program is fraught with crime. The children and teens in the area tend to struggle with poverty, lower academic performance and are more likely to be chronically absent, said project organizers.

A 2015 gang assessment conducted by a regional task force identified the area as a critical concern, lacking in programs and outreach dedicated to changing kids’ lives.

By providing after-school and summer-time activities, Police Chief Ken Hohenberg said it starts off helping the immediate neighborhoods, and will have long-term effects throughout the Tri-Cities.

“These kids are going to grow up and their either going to make good choices or bad choices,” he said. “Eventually, not all of them are going to live in Kennewick. Some of them are going to live in Pasco. Some are going to live in Richland. Some are going to live in West Richland.”

The clubhouse is expected to be able to serve about 250 students in kindergarten through high school each day.

Brian Ace, executive director for the Boys and Girls Clubs, said the building can be operated without causing any drain to their other facilities and programs, including two centers in Pasco, one in Prosser and the music,arts and technology center in downtown Kennewick.

The plans calls for a gym, a technology center, two game rooms, as well as a learning center.

“We feel it’s the right size to serve the needs of that neighborhood,” he said. “We will work actively to address the needs present in this area and ensure that youth have opportunities for success regardless of the challenges they face.”

Club officials started considering developing building a new clubhouse in Kennewick about three years ago. After conducting a feasibility study last year, they discovered 2.1 acres of city property between Jean Street and Seventh Avenue.

A group of private donors bought the land for about $100,000 with the plan to donate it to the club once the building is finished.

As part of research for the feasibility study, the people leading fundraising efforts discovered a new clubhouse in Coeur d’Alene. After visiting it, they contacted the architect, who agreed to give them the plans.

Kennewick-based Chervenell Construction is set to start and finish construction in 2018.

Joining the club costs $20 a year for children between kindergarten and fifth grade, and is free for middle and high school students.

Fundraising efforts were started about three months ago. Officials plan to open it up for the public donations soon.

Craig Eerkes, the co-chair of the fundraising campaign, was impressed with the generosity of the community.

“We believe strongly in supporting our local children and teens by providing quality youth programming,” said Eerkes, the president of Sun Pacific Energy. “Four months ago, my family and I ... made the first gift to furthering the mission of the club. We have been joined by a group of caring community members.”

More information about the project is available at greatfuturestc.org.

This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 12:45 PM with the headline "A new clubhouse, Boys and Girls! Kennewick site will open in 2018."