The Community Boys and Girls Club of Brunswick County needs more space.
Since the organization had to move from a Brunswick Community College building in Southport, the club has seen a 75 percent decrease in the number of children it serves, said Traci Bullock, the club's unit development manager.
“We're not really equipped to run the program like we would want to,” Bullock said.
In November 2008, the boys and girls club had to relocate because of renovations being done to the BCC building. The group moved to the American Legion on Ninth Street. Space there is tight for the 5- to 18-year-old participants, Bullock said.
Before the move, the boys and girls club served about 130 children from all over the county. Now that number is between 25 and 30, Bullock said. She said the building works for the programs, but they cannot separate the younger children from the teenagers as they would like.
The county commissioners have agreed to consider giving the Community Boys and Girls Club about seven acres across from the Lockwood Folly District Park on Green Swamp Road. But much would have to be done before anything could be built.
County Attorney Huey Marshall said there are questions about wetlands and standing water on the land that will have to be resolved.
And finding the construction money could be a hurdle as well.
Commissioner Charles Warren said he is hoping the county can help the boys and girls club obtain federal grants to build a new facility.
“I feel we can get them enough grants to help get it started,” he said.
Warren said the services are vital to Brunswick County's low-income families.
Membership is $20 a year, and services include after-school programs. The summer program, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and includes meals, field trips and more, costs $250. But with two weeks left in the summer, a $100 discount is being offered, Bullock said.
The commissioners agreed to the concept of giving the land to the boys and girls club at their last meeting but had questions about the logistics. The location would be ideal because of the proximity to the park.
Bullock said the ultimate goal is to establish a number of boys and girls club locations across the county and to provide transportation to the centers so more children can benefit.
Wayne Lofton, president and CEO of the Community Boys and Girls Club of Wilmington, said he planned to meet Friday with county officials to start the process of getting that land.
It is still in the early stages, he said, and a feasibility study as well as a land assessment would need to be done.
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