The retail stores of Maxwell Village will have a new neighbor this coming June when the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley opens its new Teen Clubhouse in the shopping center.
The club has assumed the lease of the 3,000-square-foot former Citibank space on the south-east corner of the property along Highway 12. The club has received a use permit and expects a construction permit in the coming week. Architect Eric Ross, builder Sam Turner and materials supplier Erik Garcia have all donated their time to the project.
According to BGC Development Director Rachel Cusick, the club’s expansion to this new space is the result of a recommendation from a facilities task force which, in 2014, identified a lack of space for teens as the number-one issue facing the club in its programming. In 2013, the Boys & Girls Clubs leased a large portable building for teens next to the Maxwell Park Clubhouse. That portable will now be used for middle-school programming. The staff that works with teens will relocate to the new Teen Clubhouse in the shopping center.
Cusick didn’t disclose the rental terms of the shopping center space, but she did say that, “the Maxwell Village owners provided very generous terms, which is what made the BGC expansion possible.” She said the ongoing funding model is still being determined, but that the ability to launch the Teen Clubhouse was a result of several large gifts, and she confirmed that it is a multi-year lease.
While the details are still being ironed out, Cusick said that the expanded space in the shopping center will enable new courses to be added for teens in the coming year – including graphic arts, media arts, performing arts and photography; BGC officials expect to recruit professionals in the community to teach those classes. The club’s “Future Focus” college-bound and career-launch programs will also be expanded.
The space will be divided up to provide one-on-one college and counseling spaces, quiet places to study, and larger areas for programs and socializing.
Board president Larry Krieger estimates that 40 teens now use the club daily, and the staff hopes to significantly expand that number as a result of new offerings made possible by the new stand-alone teen space.
Kreiger noted that the new Teen Clubhouse can ostensibly operate the same hours as the shopping complex, which would enable night and weekend activities for teens that currently are not possible in the Maxwell Clubhouse.
“This location gives our teens programs a greater visibility that we expect will help us to attract new members,” said Kreiger.
Meanwhile, a national search is underway for a new executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley. Krieger said that 90 resumes have been narrowed down to five candidates who will be interviewed by the nonprofit’s search committee, board of directors and staff in April. Kreiger expects a new director will begin in May.
“The Maxwell Village owners provided very ?generous terms.’
– Development Director Rachel Cusick
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