LYNN — A $6.3 million renovation is officially underway at the Boys & Girls Club in Lynn.
The 36-week project for the front half of the building began on Thursday, which has the young members left to play and hang out in sectioned off areas in the gym and back of the building, according to club Executive Director Brian Theirrien. With all furniture taken out of the entrance lobby, basement, and upstairs childcare center, the project’s moving phase is complete.
Next up is demolition, he said, which is set to begin this week.
“Right now, the club is only open for two more weeks so that helps us out,” said Theirrien. “Then we shut down for training and registration for our summer camp. For now, the kids still have the gym, upstairs recreation hall, cafe hall, and pool in the back-end of the building.”
Air conditioning, updated heating, plumbing, and electrical units will be put in. A bathroom makeover, Internet wifi throughout the building, an elevator, which the club currently does not have, a 50-person learning center with SmartBoards, and an updated check-in center are also part of the major renovation project.
The upstairs childcare center will grow, catering to 122 students instead of its current 77, Theirrien said. Rooms in the basement, which held the old bowling alley and current teen center, will turn into a spot solely for the club’s older student members.
“Everything is going to be new, bright, safe, and efficient,” Theirrien said.
The teens will have their own conference room, which will be used for professional career development seminars and college preparation meetings. Theirrien said the club is also working with Planet Fitness to put in a “no judgment” fitness area as well as a dance and yoga center.
“The goal is to try to make the community better and the club better,” he said.
Theirrien said he is grateful the club has the summer camp in Middleton, which will be home to 300 kids in a few weeks, leaving the club empty and available to be worked on.
When students come back in the fall for school, the club has host plans with St. George Greek Orthodox Church on South Common Street and Cobbett Elementary School. The church’s parking lot will be used for recreational games, if the weather permits, and club staff can use administrative rooms for meetings.
Thanks to 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, Theirrien said club members who attend the Cobbett School will be able to stay put for after-school programming during the renovations. The club finds out on Tuesday if they were approved for state tax credits, which will net them $1.3 million.
“The staff can’t wait and the kids are all excited,” Theirrien said. “Now it’s just making it happen, going with the wave and making the best out of it while we can, knowing the end result will be paradise for the kids in another couple of months.”
