STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAU) — The Portage County Boys and Girls Club will be breaking ground on their new facility in Stevens Point today.
Executive director Kevin Quevillon says their the new facility between PJ Jacobs Junior High and UW-Stevens Point, and will also be on a bus line. He’s calling it a perfect location for the kids. “We’ve been working on this a long time, and its always been about the location, and we’ll close down our downtown teen center, move that into this new building, but it is, it’s perfect. The location is perfect, next to the school, next to PJ Jacobs, next the the University, centrally located in Point. We couldn’t ask for a better location.” The funding will also pay for kitchen renovations at their club site in Plover and pay for security upgrades.
The new facility will also be nearby to the existing parks and rec offices. “The Tennis Courts, the grassy fields, the swimming pool, it’s a perfect location for that reason too.” Quevillon says that will help get the kids out and doing activities while keeping them in close to the rest of the city.
Officials have been raising money for the construction of the building for a number of months, and Quevillion says a pair of million dollar donations pushed them close enough to start the project. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support that we’ve received. We only have about $340,000 to go, and our goal is $4.2 million.” He’s reaching out to the community to help them past that last bit of funding to finish out their needs for the club.
The groundbreaking starts today at 4 pm at the club’s site at 2442 Sims Avenue. Everyone is invited to attend.