The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee held a grand reopening celebration at its remodeled facility in Sherman Park on Wednesday.
The 57,000 square foot Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club is 25-years old.
It was closed at the end of August so that the renovations could be completed efficiently and the public wouldn't be placed in harm's way through being around the construction, club officials said.
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Kids at the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club were transitioned to other facilities during the repairs.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee provide after-school and summer programming to roughly 43-thousand children and teens every year.
The remodeled club in Sherman Park features a new computer lab, newly-renovated game room, and new furniture and flooring.
The renovations required 418 gallons of paint, 3,590 square feet of carpet, 13,460 square feet of rubber flooring, and more than 200 pieces of new furniture.
President & CEO Vincent Lyles said all the upgrades cost roughly $600-thousand and were funded by Milwaukee County, Lowe's Companies, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Northwestern Mutual, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Grainger, and VJS Construction.
The county chipped in $2.3-million for a new HVAC system, Lyles said, which will improve heating in the winter and air conditioning during the summer.
Plans are also in the works to design and build a new teen center within the club. That's more important now than ever, after violence and unrest in Sherman Park last August.
"All of us were aware of what happened last summer," Lyles said. "Part of that was teens in our community feeling very frustrated. So we at the Boys & Girls Clubs said, 'OK, what are we going to do about that?'"
Lyles said work to design the the teen center is currently underway. Teenagers who frequent the club will have input in the process.
The Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club will host an open house on April 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to welcome back kids who've been transitioned to other clubs during the construction, as well as welcome in potential new members.
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