The Boys & Girls Club of Van Buren was recently renovated. Thursday night the club held its big grand opening.
“I played basketball here when I was a kid and it really looks good,” said James Dunn, a parent. “They've done a lot with it.”
Dunn and his wife have two sons who participate in activities at the club. “All the stuff here is great and it's nice to know that you have a safe place for your kids to go,” said Misty Dunn, a parent.
The Boys & Girls Club of Van Buren got a $500,000 facelift. The renovation includes new classrooms and an office space.
“It's gotten bigger by about 5,000 square feet,” said Marc McCune, a board member. “We added a lot of classroom space because we were overcrowded. We are averaging over 200 kids a day after school.”
McCune says the building has been the same size since the 1960s. Construction on the new wing took about a year.
“This will give us a lot of room, give us a lot more classrooms, and they can have different functions in those classrooms instead of all being bunched together like they were,” said McCune.
Board members say the United Way and donations made the renovation possible. “I think they'll learn a lot,” said Dunn. “They have a lot of learning centers that they didn't have.”
Construction wrapped up in early February. The club is already taking advantage of the new space.