MUSKEGON, Mich. — There was a major step forward for a community organization with a big impact in Muskegon Tuesday night.
The Boys and Girls Club of the Lakeshore broke ground on its new and improved Western Avenue clubhouse.
The project has been in the planning stages for some time.
Board members, community leaders and program participants were on hand for the ceremony, which included several speakers.
13 ON YOUR SIDE was given an exclusive sneak peak at renderings of the extensive update to the property back in March.
Outside of the various structural and mechanical upgrades, the facelift will include:
- A climbing wall
- A STEM lab
- Artist's studio
- Teen lounge
- Game rooms
- Quiet spaces
- Cafeteria
- And more!
The multi-million-dollar project will allow the facility to accommodate three times as many kids as it's currently able to.
The work will also allow the Boys & Girls Club to keep them in the building longer, in some cases, even after they've aged out of the Club's traditional programming.
"I think the whole idea is to build strong foundations for our youth, but also find those special nuggets, those mentors that really get in and bind to the message of the Boys & Girls Club and help them foster the next generation of foundational leaders," Board Chair DJ Hilson said.
The club also expects the scope of work to include a state-of-the-art aquatics center. The work was funded in part by a multi-million-dollar effort to revamp the existing pool, which the club said was doing well.
The work is expected to be complete by fall of 2023.
Club programming remains in place, but was moved to several temporary satellite sites as construction formally got underway Tuesday.
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