More space for the kids
<p>David Johnson, 9, takes a shot on the pool table with the wrong end of the cue during a game Monday with Colin Nordhausen, 17, a Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County staff member during the club's first day open to students in Post Falls.</p>
POST FALLS - So this is what it feels like to give 135 kids in the same building more elbow room.
The excitement and energy only increases with the space.
Monday was the first day of after-school programs at the new Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County facility next to the Post Falls Library.
Fourth-grader Kody Dehart enjoyed a fruit rollup snack before venturing into the program options, including homework, gym activity, games and arts and crafts.
"It's nice having our own gym," he said, adding that members had to walk to area schools for gym time when the nonprofit was stationed at the Post Falls Nazarene Church.
Ryan Davis, executive director, said opening day was much like kids react when they first enter a hotel room.
They're wide-eyed, bouncy and ask all the important questions such as "Where's the bathroom?"
Davis expects the average daily attendance at the 10,000-square-foot, $1.3 million facility to be between 150 and 175.
The facility is the culmination of seven years of fundraising and several years of planning before that.
"It's still sinking in," Davis said of the building. "But when we hung the Jordan Johnson sign and seeing all the kids come in, it started to feel like reality."
Johnson, a former Post Falls High student athlete, died in 2006 at 15 due to a heart condition.
Some students enjoyed ping pong and pool on the first day. Others played dodgeball in the gym or got a head start on their homework in a quiet room during "Power Hour."
"It's a big upgrade and the kids are definitely bouncing off the walls," said volunteer Tanya Dehart. "It's a nice place for them to hang out without being in day care."
During an assembly in the gym, Davis laid the ground rules, including respecting staff, other club members, the equipment and yourself.
"Even the toilet seats are new in here," he told the kids.
The club has been operating after-school and summer programs for kids ages 6-18 out of the church across from Mullan Trail Elementary since 2007. A facility in Coeur d'Alene will be the next focus.
Fourth-grader Mason Cushing said he especially likes the gym in the new Post Falls facility because he believes Olympic-caliber material was used for the floor.
"It's nice having our own stuff," he said.
Fifth-grader Hailey Spooner added: "It's definitely nicer having more space."