POLSON — The new Boys and Girls Club in Polson is officially open serving kids in Lake County ranging from ages six to 18.
The long-anticipated facility officially opened its doors in October after construction started on the project in September of 2019.
Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Aric Cooksley says the 23,000 square foot facility is currently open Monday through Friday serving around 65 kids a day.
“About two-thirds of those are in our youth center and about a third of those are in our teen center,” Cooksley said.
The new space features a gymnasium, music room, art center, and a full commercial kitchen.
“Having a full commercial kitchen where we are able to make exactly the kind of meals that we want to and things has been fantastic,” Cooksley told MTN News.
Cooksley added the club has multiple tech labs helping kids with after school work and fun digital projects.
“We’ve never had space in the Polson club before where you can do more technology kinds of things, and there’s more to come with film and makerspaces and things like that, so it’s been really good from that standpoint,” Cooksley explained.
Cooksley says community support for the project has been amazing since day one, fundraising more than $5 million for the new club.
“How incredibly thankful we are to the community and so many people who have been involved in making this a reality, we’ve been able to get into this place and get it paid for and all those kinds of things which has been amazing,” Cooksley stated.
He says the number of kids enjoying the Boys and Girls Club will continue to grow as COVID-19 restrictions allow.
Anyone who would like to volunteer or donate to the new club can click here for more information.
