The Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau will celebrate the opening of its brand-new headquarters in early to mid-spring after nearly two years of planning and construction.
The new headquarters, located at 558 Frank Allen Road., will open sometime between March and April of this year and sit on a 3-acre plot of land valued at $850,000.
The facility will boast a 7,200 square foot covered outdoor pavilion, which will host sporting events and concerts. The building will also include outdoor classrooms, a working garden and a green space for “imaginative play,” according to the BGCP’s new CEO, Carmen Waite.
The building itself will provide BGCP with the necessary space to serve more club members and provide a broader range of programs in a safe and welcoming environment.
“The new Clubhouse is 8,300 square feet and includes dedicated space for art, technology, learning, and group games,” Waite said. “Two rooms are also designated to serve specific age populations - one classroom for Kindergarten and a large flexible space for teenagers.”
Initially, the BGCP had planned to turn the old headquarters into a space specifically for teens, however, those plans have since changed as the project begins to near completion.
“We lease the old headquarters from the Cashiers Valley Community Council,” Waite said. “While we originally planned to run the teen program from the old headquarters, we are now planning to house the teens in the new building until we are able to build the Teen Center on the new campus. Plans for the Teen Center are currently in development, and we look forward to sharing those later this year.”
The project’s total cost, including site preparation, construction of the main building and the outdoor pavilion, and landscaping work, amounts to approximately $5 million and is set to open on schedule, despite challenges posed by the continued presence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our general contractor is Marty Reid of Reid’s Construction in Lake Toxaway,” Waite said. “He has done a wonderful job of managing the project, and we have not seen any delays due to Omicron. We started construction in March 2021, and the project is on schedule to be completed in March-April 2022.”
The BGCP was founded in 2014 with the intention of providing affordable after-school enrichment to working families in the area.
“The difficulty in finding affordable after school enrichment for children led a group of community leaders to found BGCP, which opened its first local Club at the start of the 2014-2015 school year,” Waite said.
“BGCP’s daily after school program has since become a lifeline for working families in the Cashiers community. Without the Club, parents report that they would not be able to do their jobs, many of which are in the hospitality and construction industries where long days are the norm. Parents depend on BGCP to provide a safe environment where their children receive academic tutoring, regular physical activity, healthy snacks, and an engaging array of enrichment opportunities including a focus on character.”
According to the BGCP’s website, individual memberships cost just $12 a year and provide members with access to programs and opportunities offered at the club.
Teen participation is free, and any registered teens can visit the Teen Center any time during operating hours.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony with club members, parents and community partners is scheduled to occur sometime in April. A grand opening celebration with donors and other supporters will follow in June.
For more information on BGCP, visit www.bgcplateau.org or call 828-743-2775.
- By Kaylee Cook