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Boys & Girls Club details Bonham property plan; aims to open programs next year, expand athletics
Summary
Boys & Girls Club leaders said they closed on the former Bonham Elementary property in December 2024 and outlined a phased plan to renovate a 20,000‑square‑foot facility and surrounding 14 acres, start a capital campaign in 2025, and use part of the site for sports, community space and a clubhouse serving South McAllen.
Trey Murray, speaking for the Boys & Girls Club of McAllen, told the City Commission workshop the organization closed on the former Bonham Elementary property in December 2024 and envisions a phased renovation to provide a South Side clubhouse, gyms and sports facilities.
"We serve over... 13,000 kids through youth sports in McAllen on an annual basis," Murray said, describing high demand for gym space and weekend tournament capacity. The club described the property as nearly 14 acres with an approximately 18,000–20,000‑square‑foot main building (the cafetorium and gym), and said the plan is to renovate half of the main building immediately for clubhouse use and to bring the facility into service for summer programming in 2025.
The nut graf: Club leaders positioned the Bonham site as both a neighborhood clubhouse serving teens and children and a potential sports‑tourism asset if expanded gym and court capacity can host tournaments. Officials said the site will be used for after‑school and weekend athletics, and they stressed the need for more indoor court space across the city.
Murray and other club representatives showed early conceptual site plans with phased athletics expansions: a small gym and cafetorium rehabilitation in Phase 1, and larger multi‑court athletics facilities in later phases designed to convert courts for basketball and volleyball. The club said it has leveraged roughly $3,500,000 in commitments and plans to launch a capital campaign in 2025 to complete renovations and athletics phases.
City commissioners and the club discussed near‑term uses: club leaders said they plan to use congressional spending funds and other sources to renovate immediately serviceable spaces and aim to welcome campers and expanded programming by summer 2025. The club said Roosevelt (South McAllen) dollars and school‑district partnerships will also be used as part of operations once renovations proceed.
Ending: No formal action or vote was taken at the workshop; the Boys & Girls Club asked the commission to partner on planning and funding as the capital campaign develops.
