Boys and Girls Club appeals to council as Keith Field access dispute stalls proposed clubhouse development

The Boys and Girls Club of Metro South on April 7 urged the Brockton Finance Committee to help clear a multi‑year delay on the organization’s planned new clubhouse at Keith Field. Derek Heim, the club’s CEO, said the project has zoning approval, substantial seed funding, nearly $393,000 in privately funded engineering, legal and architecture work, and an exclusive negotiating agreement, but is stalled by unresolved access and utility easement issues dating to the site’s prior RFP and the discovery of a failing culvert.

Heim told the committee the club has negotiated in good faith for years and has repeatedly offered to address culvert repairs and other access fixes at its expense. He said donors are fatigued by delays and asked city leaders to prioritize resolving access and easement questions. The city solicitor confirmed the legal point raised repeatedly in the discussion: the City Council controls property disposition and must approve any easement or transfer if the land remains under the care, custody and control of the School Department. Several councilors and the solicitor said the portion of Keith Field that was declared surplus does not include the full frontage on West Elm; that lack of frontage is the technical reason the parcel is landlocked and requires an easement or a school‑committee vote to alter the school committee’s care and custody.

Committee members strongly voiced support for the Boys and Girls Club but expressed frustration about the multi‑year delay and disparate messages the club has received from different city offices. Councilors urged an expedited, collaborative meeting among the mayor (as chair of the school committee), the school superintendent, the DPW commissioner and the city solicitor to find an access solution. Councilor Lalick moved to postpone the item to the May 19 meeting and to invite the mayor, superintendent and DPW commissioner to attend; the motion passed.

Heim said his organization needs a clear path to a school‑committee meeting and a formal vote so the club can secure the parcel and proceed; councilors pledged to try to arrange placement on an upcoming school‑committee facilities agenda. Heim said the project remains funded by private donors and that the club has spent nearly $393,000 on project due diligence to date.