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Boys & Girls Club outlines plan for Chief Joe teen center, seeks long-term lease and fundraising support
Summary
The Boys & Girls Club proposed a 7,000-sq.-ft. teen center near Chief Joe, said a previously considered fire-station site was dropped after PFAS was found, reported a lead donor commitment and asked the district to advance a long-term lease to qualify for state grants due this summer.
Bridal Hasey, introduced as chief executive of the Boys & Girls Club, told the Richland School Board the organization plans a new 7,000-square-foot teen center on a parcel adjacent to the Chief Joe campus to serve middle- and high-school students.
Hasey said the club had pursued a former fire-station site but backed away after an environmental review identified PFAS on that parcel and the group concluded a new-build on district-controlled land would better serve teens. The proposed facility would include dedicated middle-school and high-school spaces, a basketball court and parking, and is intended to serve more than 100 teens per day while allowing a larger membership base during the year.
Why it matters: Hasey told the board that site control — a long-term lease rather than a memorandum of understanding — is likely required to make the project competitive for state grant programs. The club said it already has a substantial lead donor commitment and will begin a feasibility study in April; the organization described a community fundraising target “in the range of 4 to 7” (the transcript did not specify monetary units). Hasey asked the district to continue lease negotiations and to work with club staff to secure required state approvals.
Board members asked about capacity, design flexibility and timing. Hasey said the proposed center would serve dedicated high-school and middle-school rooms, that middle-school space would be roughly twice the size of the high-school area and that the design will allow for a future enclosed gym. She described the Prosper clubhouse (15,000 sq. ft.) as a comparative example and said the Chief Joe proposal would be roughly half that size.
On timing, Hasey said design work and a feasibility study are underway and emphasized that some state grant deadlines fall in June with reviews in July; she urged the board to provide timely site-control documentation so the project can be prioritized in grant review.
Closing detail: The club asked the board to authorize district staff to continue lease discussions and return a draft for board review. Board members indicated support for moving conversations forward while seeking follow-up details on site setbacks, power-line infrastructure and transportation options for students outside walking distance.
