LYNN — The Boys & Girls Club of Lynn construction project reached new heights Friday morning as the club and the community celebrated the new clubhouse’s topping-off ceremony.
With the final beam of the new Demakes Family Clubhouse taking its place in what will be the Boys & Girls Club’s gymnasium, a major milestone was met in the construction process.
Members of the Demakes Family, as well as Board of Directors President Adriana Moschella, assisted in raising the beam, which was signed by City leaders, Lynn youth, and the Demakes family.
“Years from now, people won’t remember the construction project. They’ll remember the children who learned to swim for the first time, the teens who found a mentor, discovered a passion, and chose the club over the streets,” Moschella said.
The club has undergone two phases of renovation. Phase one was a $7.5 million project that was completed in 2020. Phase two, a $28 million investment, is expected to be finished in eight months and replaces the back section of the club, which has been removed.
The project’s second phase is a new three-story building that will feature a gym, pool, full cafeteria and instructional kitchen, fitness room, two additional licensed childcare classrooms, and a dance and theater room.
“We congratulate the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn on reaching this significant milestone in their building project. The club plays a valuable role in our city by providing a wide range of services for youth of all ages. We look forward to them being able to accommodate even more youth when this project is complete,” said Mayor Jared C. Nicholson.
For the club’s executive director, Grace Duran, “this feels like a beautiful moment. It gets us closer to our dream building, which I know will help kids for generations to come.”
She added, “Every space in our building was built very intentionally and came from youth voices and things that we knew that our future kids would need. So every space was very intentional, and I know that this is going to just help kids further be great.”
Boys & Girls Club of Lynn CEO Brian Therrien said, “There was a lot of hard work over the years, especially over the last six months.”
He added, “We had this milestone on the calendar months ago so that when we got here, we could really embrace it and take in all that we’ve accomplished.”
Therrien noted that staff has navigated months of construction while keeping kids safe and programs running, calling the ceremony, “a moment to pause and appreciate what everyone has pushed through to get here.”
Therrien said the Demakes Family, where the clubhouse gets its name, “have been instrumental in this build-out, and a lot of Tom’s family and friends also made donations.”
