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Residents press commission to clarify Kearns Community Center operations as administration negotiates with Boys & Girls Club
Summary
Multiple residents and commissioners urged clearer management, insurance, maintenance, and funding plans for the Kearns Community Center; administration said programs are active through partnerships and that talks with the Boys & Girls Club and YMCA are ongoing.
Residents and local advocates used both public-comment periods to press the commission for clarity about operations, funding, and oversight of the Kearns Community Center.
Ruthie Stevenson told the commission the Kearns Center has been integral to the community since 1964 and asked who is supporting upkeep and utilities now that the city has resumed control (SEG 173–176, SEG 213–216). Thomas Barnes, who said he was appointed to the city’s recreation advisory committee, described ongoing partnerships (Mount Clemens Public Library, Anton Arts Center, YMCA, local trainers) and cited a $1.8 million Ralph C. Wilson Foundation project that selected Mount Clemens for programming supports (SEG 262–277).
Other speakers urged fund-raising and volunteer support. Theresa McGarity urged commissioners to "think of 1 idea to raise funds" and suggested commissioners each volunteer one month a year to help sustain the center (SEG 319–327). Carl Haney and other volunteers described the programming (sports, sewing, dance) and asked the commission to preserve community access and not vest control solely in a single provider (SEG 384–415, SEG 2042–2076).
Administration told commissioners that most program activities at Kearns are being provided under partner organizations and that certificates of liability insurance have been received from groups now operating there, including the library and the Boys & Girls Club for specific activities (SEG 1614–1621). City staff said they had changed the locks and that the only outside organization with keys is Advancing Macomb under a memorandum of understanding; day-to-day janitorial support has been donated in part but the city covers utilities and sends staff for maintenance issues (SEG 1688–1721).
Commissioners requested more information about who has access, who holds keys, insurance coverage, and whether the Boys & Girls Club will fully occupy the site or continue shared programming in partnership with the city; administration said negotiations continue and a meeting with partners (Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, Advancing Macomb) was imminent (SEG 1625–1635, SEG 1656–1664). Several commissioners emphasized the city’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure certificates of insurance and to document oversight.
What’s next: Commissioners asked administration to return with clearer documentation on insurance, key control, maintenance responsibilities, and the status of negotiations with potential partners for ongoing programming at the Kearns Community Center.
