New site selected to build Richland’s 1st Boys and Girls clubhouse
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- School board supports future vote for clubhouse lease site on Chief Joseph campus.
- The 7,000 sq ft clubhouse would serve 100+ low-income middle and high school students.
- Nonprofit seeks $4–7M and must apply for Commerce grants by June.
Studies are underway to see if Richland’s first Boys and Girls clubhouse can be built on the Chief Joseph Middle School campus.
For the last few years, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties had considered whether it could renovate the decommissioned Fire Station 73 at 1900 Jadwin Ave.
But the nonprofit ultimately chose to abandon the idea after environmental challenges with PFAS material and facility limitations arose.
Instead, a new 7,000-square-foot build has been proposed for the corner of Stevens Drive and Wilson Street, replacing some aged tennis courts.
The clubhouse would serve at least 100 low-income high school and middle school students living in Richland’s core neighborhoods with after-school enrichment programs.
At a Tuesday meeting, the Richland School Board voiced support for signing a long-term land lease that would allow the Boys and Girls Club to control the site.
That needs to be done soon so that they can apply for state Department of Commerce grants by June, said Boys and Girls Clubs CEO Brian Ace.
“To see it keep going forward, and the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s really exciting,” Richland Superintendent Shelley Redinger said.
7-figure donation will kickstart campaign
The proposed project would not be funded by a bond or new tax. Instead, the Boys and Girls Club would use a fundraising model.
One unnamed donor has already made a seven-figure contribution to jumpstart their campaign efforts, Ace said.
The goal could be between $4-7 million, though the nonprofit is still working with Design West Architects on the facility design and planning.
The Boys and Girls Clubs already operates traditional clubhouses in Kennewick and Pasco. Last year, it opened a 15,000-square-foot clubhouse in Prosser that brought several existing programs onto one campus.
For nearly 30 years, the Boys and Girls Clubs has serving Tri-City youths with supportive and engaging programs to help them learn, grow and make friendships.
“All the data that I’ve read and observed over the years shows that the Boys and Girls club makes a difference in the lives of kids,” said Richland School Board member Rick Jansons, who said he was “100%” in favor of the lease.
Richland clubhouse a longtime in the making
The school district’s relationship with the Boys and Girls Clubs goes back several years.
Richland opened a request for proposals in 2018 to provide child care services in elementary schools, and chose the Boys and Girls Clubs. It now serves every Richland elementary with licensed child care services, Ace said.
Part of the proposal also asked contractors how the care would help lower the income-based achievement gap. Community feedback showed there was a need to expand services to teens and middle school students in Richland’s core, Ace said.
In 2023, Boys and Girls Clubs started a pilot program teen center at Chief Joseph. It’s had a big impact serving students with homework help, STEM activities, cooking and science activities, art projects, peer engagement and recreational sporting activities.
It served about 180 students last year, about 90% of whom were on free or reduced lunch programs, with services from a single portable building.
Ace said when it came to choosing a location for the Richland clubhouse, they’ve been “very married” to the Chief Joseph neighborhood.
There are many reasons for that. Not just for continuity of services, but to serve neighborhoods with dense populations of children who come from low-income backgrounds. He pointed to the nearby apartment complexes, for example.
“We had some good meetings around (the fire station), and what we really came to understand is that to serve youth well we feel we can do better with a new-build facility that’s larger, to be able to serve more teens,” Ace said.
The wedge parcel with tennis courts on Chief Joseph’s campus was attractive because it provided access away from the northern section where the school will likely be rebuilt. It would also allow the Boys and Girls to possibly expand the building at a future date.
Rebuilding the middle school has been on district leaders’ minds even as they’ve added schools in West Richland. The 106,000-square-foot building was built in 1951 and remodeled in 1994, and became age eligible for replacement this year.
Ace said he expects more movement on the Richland clubhouse project in 2026. The nonprofit will also be working with the city to address some hurdles with the site’s setback requirements and power line infrastructure.
At the same time, Richland School District is also undertaking a new comprehensive long-range facilities plan.
This comes after voters in the school district rejected a $314 million bond measure in 2024 that would have funded construction of a third comprehensive high school and spaces for alternative schools.
There is a March 15 deadline for community members to volunteer to be on the guiding committee, the Community Facilities Task Force. Work will be about five months, culminating in a final report in September.
