By Kylie Balk-Yaatenen - December 12th 2023
JANESVILLE
The Boys & Girls Club will be getting a new home as the city council propels plans further along after voting Monday to give the two lots along South Jackson Street to the club.
The city donated and rezoned lots 907, 921, 937, and 949 South Jackson Street and a portion of 320 West Delavan Drive to the Boys & Girls Club of Janesville for their new building.
As previously reported by the Gazette, one of the lots holds the former foundation for batting cages. The concrete pad now appears to hold a makeshift skate park set up by neighborhood kids.
City’s support
Jimsi Kuborn, the city’s economic development director, said that the Boys & Girls Club wanted the land and the city declared the lots surplus. The proposed property transfer would promote redevelopment of this site for a community service-based organization while also preserving public ownership of the riverfront itself.
Kuborn said that the proposed use of the property by the Boys & Girls Club of Janesville is consistent with established city plans.
“The Boys & Girls Club proposes to construct a new 35,000-square-foot facility, parking lot, and fenced-in playground. The new facility would allow the organization to feasibly triple its capacity, provide additional much-needed daycare services, and include a dedicated teen space,” she said.
She said that the new facility will not only provide much-needed additional services, it is another project that highlights the continued growth and opportunity of the south side for additional projects and investments communitywide.
Rebecca Veium, the club’s CEO, told the Gazette in July that their current building, at 200 W. Court St., is only able to facilitate 70 youth a day on site, but consistently has over 100 kids on its waiting list. A room for teens in grades 6-12 can only accommodate 15 youth comfortably.
The club issued a press release that identifies that the increased access to affordable childcare and positive youth development programs are critical to young people in Janesville. It said that with a new, larger facility, the club will be able to take kids off the waiting list and provide more Janesville youth with a safe place after school to learn, have fun, and build a great future.
The land at 921 South Jackson, north of the blighted corridor where General Motors once stood, is pivotal in transforming the neighborhood and revitalizing an important area in the community.
“The Jackson Street property is at the heart of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods,” Veium said in the news release. “Building our club at this location will have a great impact on improving the neighborhood and services available to some of our most vulnerable community members in Janesville.”
The club’s trauma-informed and evidence-based programs are designed to produce outcomes in academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character development. The club provides services to youth ages 6-18. Teen services include the Be Great Graduate Program, which helps kids at risk of not graduating on time stay on track to meet this vital milestone through homework help and one-on-one support, according to the release.
“This project will serve as a transformational project in this area of town. The new state-of-the-art facility, with a commercial kitchen to serve meals, will be a beacon to the neighborhood, businesses, and entrepreneurs that the area is open and critical to the continued redevelopment of the area,” Veium said in the release. “We are grateful to have the trust of the city supporting our vision.”
When considering locations, it was critical that the land was large enough for the planned facility that would allow the club to expand services and stay close to the club’s primary target population of youth living in low-income households. The selected location is also close to Janesville schools, on a bus line, has space for a playground, and easy access and visibility.
Veium told the Gazette in May that the location choice was deliberate, based on who the organization serves. She and campaign committee members talked a lot about the location, knowing if they picked the wrong location kids would not come.
“We wanted to be close to the families we’re currently serving and those that are needing us most,” Veium said.
The press release said that with the vote of the city council awarding the land to the Cclub, it will officially launch the public phase of the club’s Capital & Endowment Campaign to Build Great Futures for Our Youth & Community. The club has privately raised $4.9 million towards its overall goal of $11 million. The new building will honor the name of Prent and GOEX as the lead donors of the campaign.
Veium said she expect to break ground for the new club in March of 2024 and open the new building by the summer of 2025.
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