Boys & Girls Clubs outlines plan to lease Mount Clemens K Center, asks commissioners for letters of support

Sean Wilson, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, told the Mount Clemens City Commission on April 19 that the nonprofit is exploring opening one or two club sites in Macomb County and is considering Mount Clemens’ K Center as a candidate site.

Wilson said the organization typically negotiates a long-term, nominal lease for community facilities — "we would traditionally lease the facility for a dollar a year" — and would assume day‑to‑day operating costs such as staffing, utilities and routine grounds maintenance. He said the club would ask the city to cover only major capital repairs (for example, roof or boiler replacement) while the club would be responsible for program operations and routine upkeep.

The presentation outlined the club’s revised model, which Wilson described as focused on "economic mobility": programs that range from STEM and career‑pathway training to co‑working spaces and maker labs designed to support entrepreneurs and job readiness. Wilson said the club’s membership model is intentionally affordable (he cited a $50 annual youth membership) and includes extensive scholarships: "we still scholarship three four 5,000 kids in uh every year," he said.

Commissioners asked how the financial arrangement would work and whether the facility could host programming for adults and seniors when youth are not present. Wilson said the club aims for "hyper local partnerships" and multi‑generational use, and that it can deliver daytime workforce development, wraparound services, food distribution and other community programming in addition to after‑school activities.

Wilson described measurable growth from the association’s recent model changes: he said the organization grew from serving "less than 12,000 youth" to "21,000 youth and families" in two years, and said the association has increased its budget substantially during that period. He also said the organization has returned funds to local partners ("we've been able to put $1.8 million back into our ecosystems around our clubs").

Wilson said the group has conducted local visioning sessions in Mount Clemens and at North Broadway Church of Christ and plans another visioning session on the 29th (he asked the commission to confirm that date). He asked commissioners to provide letters of support (the club seeks about 25 letters from the community) to help advance the exploratory process and future fund‑raising.

Mayor and commissioners applauded the presentation; several said they would consider writing letters. City staff said they would distribute the university students’ summary of the visioning session and the club said it would send the compiled feedback to commissioners.

The commission did not take a vote on any lease or contract at the meeting. The discussion concluded with the club and the city agreeing to continue the community visioning and follow up with written materials and a schedule for next steps.