PF Boys & Girls Club expanding

POST FALLS — The Boys & Girls Club's Jordan Johnson Clubhouse in Post Falls is growing up.

A $1.7 million campaign is underway to expand the presently 10,000-square-foot club by 5,000 square feet to give the decade-old building an upgrade and provide more space for more members.

“This has been something we’ve needed since we built this building,” Boys & Girls Clubs of Kootenai County Executive Director Mark Kuhnhausen said Monday.

The Post Falls Clubhouse, which officially opened in January 2013, serves about 120-150 kids after school every day. The expansion will help accommodate the growing demand for the Boys & Girls Club in the rapidly growing River City, which has experienced a 36% population increase in the past 10 years.

"To us, this is a big expansion,” Kuhnhausen said.

The new state-of-the-art facility will include the following:

• Expanded teen center — Youth ages 12-18 will have a dedicated space, including a separate entrance, that is safe and supervised.

• Nutrition center and kitchen: Nutritious meals and snacks will be available to all club participants. Teens will learn job skills by managing the "snack shack," such as operating cash registers, inventory, purchase orders and general accounting.

• Before-school care — With additional space and kitchen facilities, before-school activities will include breakfast and educational programming.

• Community center — Space for access to a fully functioning kitchen, where groups and individuals will be able to hold meetings and small functions.

• Expanded technology center — Additional STEM (science, technology, mathematics and engineering) programming will be offered, as well as a dedicated "maker space."

• Meeting room — A conference room for youth leadership groups and staff members.

• Safety improvements — Security cameras will be added and the front lobby will be modified to ensure only club members, staff and volunteers have access to the interior of the building.

• Restroom facilities — Upgrades will be made to existing restrooms and separate restrooms will be added for staff and teens.

Program Director Emma Johnson said the expansion has been a topic of discussion for some time.

“I’ve already got new clubs and activities I’m really excited to do in the new spaces, like the maker space, doing more with the 3-D printer, robotics and things like,” she said. “And cooking. I’m really excited about cooking because the kids really like those activities. I think it will be fun and exciting. I’m excited to see what else we can bring to them that we haven’t been able to in the past."

Lead donors include youth champions Rita Case and Lola Hagadone. Young Construction is the main builder.

Kuhnhausen said just more than 50% of the fundraising to reach $1.7 million is complete. They are applying for grants, but everything that has been raised so far has come from generous donors in the community.

An unveiling celebration is expected to take place in June. Construction began in December 2022 and is scheduled to be complete in September.

The site will be closed this summer, but club activities will operate out of nearby Seltice Elementary School.

Clubhouse Director Natasha Malgren said she's happy to see the club undergo work to better serve their members.

"They’re amazing kids and they deserve all the best in life," she said. "I’m very excited that we’re actually able to make this happen and give them more opportunities than we could in the past."