Boys & Girls Club may come to Post Falls

If all goes as planned, a Boys & Girls Club will open in Post Falls by the end of this school year.

The Kootenai County branch of the national youth organization has been talking to city and school officials about a possible location, which it would lease for $1 a year. A field behind the Post Falls Library, on Mullan Avenue, is the likely site because it’s centrally locagted within walking distance of several schools, said Post Falls School District Superintendent Jerry Keane.

“We as a community have long needed a place for young people to go” and could benefit from the educational and social activities the club provides, Keane said.

Though the club aims to serve the whole county, a study found that Post Falls would be the best location because of current and expected growth, said Cort Wilcox, president of the Kootenai County branch, which became a nonprofit this year.

Wilcox explained another reason for choosing Post Falls: “What do kids do here? There really isn’t a center around.”

A permanent facility could be ready by fall 2007, Wilcox said, but the group hopes to open the club in a temporary location before that.

Ultimately, the club hopes to open branches in Coeur d’Alene, Rathdrum and Hayden. In the meantime, the organization plans to arrange countywide transportation to bus children to the club after school.

The organization, which has about 3,700 clubs nationwide, runs programs focusing on character development and leadership, education and career planning, health and life skills, sports, fitness, and recreation, said Dick Boyle, vice president of the Kootenai County group.

Beyond providing a place for kids to socialize and prepare for life, Boyle said, “the more important thing is it gets them off the street.”

At least daily, the Post Falls Police Department gets “nuisance” calls from businesses and homeowners complaining about youths, said Lt. Scot Haug. A couple times a week there are reports of more serious offenses such as thefts, irresponsible driving and alcohol abuse, he added.

Though he doesn’t know much about the Boys & Girls Club, Haug said Post Falls could use more activities for young people.

A couple of years ago, community members created a center for youth staffed by volunteers, but it closed after a year. People involved in this project say it’s different because it is centered on programs and supervised by a paid staff.

All of this, however, comes with a price.

The Boys & Girls Club estimates that building a facility and creating a reserve of funds would cost $2.9 million. The yearly operational costs after that would be $200 per youth.

Still, Boyle said, that expense is lower than the $25,000 it costs to keep one juvenile in jail for a year.

“By having children attend these types of programs, the result is so positive it’s hard to believe,” Boyle said. “They become responsible adults.”